Treaty of Paris

The Treaty of Paris ended the Revolutionary War between Great Britain and the United States, recognized American independence and established borders for the new nation. After the British defeat at Yorktown, peace talks in Paris began in April 1782 between Richard Oswarld representing Great Britain and the American Peace Commissioners Benjamin Franklin, John Jay, and John Adams. The American negotiators were joined by Henry Laurens two days before the preliminary articles of peace were signed on November 30, 1782. The Treaty of Paris, formally ending the war, was not signed until September 3, 1783. The Continental Congress, which was temporarily situated in Annapolis, Maryland, at the time, ratified the Treaty of Paris on January 14, 1784.

Library of Congress Web Site | External Web Sites | Selected Bibliography

Digital Collections

Benjamin Franklin Papers

A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: U.S. Congressional Documents and Debates, 1774-1875

Documents from the Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention, 1774 to 1789

This collection contains 277 documents relating to the work of Congress and the drafting and ratification of the Constitution. Items include extracts of the journals of Congress, resolutions, proclamations, committee reports, and treaties. A broadside of the preliminary articles of peace ending the Revolutionary War, which were ratified by Congress on April 15, 1783.

A broadside of a Congressional proclamation announcing the ratification of the Treaty of Paris on January 14, 1784.

George Washington Papers

The complete George Washington Papers collection from the Manuscript Division at the Library of Congress consists of approximately 65,000 documents. George Washington's copy of the Preliminary Articles of Peace between the United States and Great Britain, which were signed in Paris on November 30, 1782.

On April 18, 1783, Washington issued General Orders to the Continental Army announcing the "Cessation of Hostilities between the United States of America and the King of Great Britain." Search Washington's papers to find additional documents related to the American Revolution and the end of the war.

Printed Ephemera: Three Centuries of Broadsides and Other Printed Ephemera

The Printed Ephemera collection comprises 28,000 primary-source items dating from the seventeenth century to the present and encompasses key events and eras in American history. A broadside published in Baltimore outlines the principal articles of the preliminary peace treaty signed with Great Britain.

A broadside printed in Philadelphia on November 26, 1783, contains the full-text of the Treaty of Paris.

Thomas Jefferson Papers, 1606 to 1827

America's Library

Exhibitions

Today in History

April 15, 1783 Congress ratified preliminary articles of peace ending the Revolutionary War with Great Britain on April 15, 1783. September 3, 1783 On September 3, 1783, the Treaty of Paris was signed, bringing the Revolutionary War to its final conclusion. January 14, 1784 Congress ratified the Treaty of Paris on January 14, 1784, officially establishing the United States as in independent and sovereign nation.

External Web Sites

Selected Bibliography

Bemis, Samuel F. The Diplomacy of the American Revolution. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1957. [Catalog Record] Dull, Jonathan R. A Diplomatic History of the American Revolution. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1985. [Catalog Record] Hoffman, Ronald, and Peter J. Albert, eds. Peace and the Peacemakers: The Treaty of 1783. Charlottesville: Published for the United States Capitol Historical Society by the University Press of Virginia, 1986. [Catalog Record] Morris, Richard Brandon. The Peacemakers: The Great Powers and American Independence. New York: Harper & Row, 1965. [Catalog Record] Schiff, Stacy. A Great Improvisation: Franklin, France, and the Birth of America. New York: Henry Holt, 2005. [Catalog Record] Schoenbrun, David. Triumph in Paris: The Exploits of Benjamin Franklin. New York: Harper & Row, 1976. [Catalog Record]

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