The Treaty of Paris (1783) formally ended the American Revolutionary War and recognized United States independence, a milestone remembered during America250.
Representatives of Great Britain and the United States signed the treaty in Paris on September 3, 1783. The agreement recognized the former Thirteen Colonies as free, sovereign, and independent states, ending Britain’s claim to govern them.
The American negotiating team included Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, John Jay, and Henry Laurens. The treaty also established boundaries for the new nation, extending west to the Mississippi River, north to the Great Lakes, and south to Spanish Florida.
The treaty did not mean every military activity stopped immediately, and Britain completed its evacuation of New York City in November 1783. It is also distinct from the separate treaties involving France, Spain, and the Dutch Republic that together are often called the Peace of Paris.