Which 1783 treaty recognized the United States as independent, a milestone remembered by America250?

The Treaty of Paris (1783) recognized the United States as independent.

Representatives of Great Britain and the United States signed the treaty in Paris on September 3, 1783. Its first article formally acknowledged the United States as free, sovereign, and independent states. The agreement ended the American Revolutionary War and established broad boundaries for the new nation, including territory east of the Mississippi River.

The American negotiators were Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, John Jay, and Henry Laurens, although Laurens did not sign the final document. The British representative was David Hartley. The treaty also addressed fishing rights, debts, prisoners, and property belonging to Loyalists.

The treaty is often confused with the Treaty of Versailles because both were signed near Paris and involved European powers. The 1783 Treaty of Paris ended the American war for independence; the 1783 treaties at Versailles were separate agreements involving Britain, France, and Spain. Congress ratified the American treaty on January 14, 1784.