Treaty of Paris (1783)

The peace treaty between Great Britain and the United States that ended the American Revolutionary War and recognized the United States as an independent state.

United States territorial acquisitions: The lands acquired by the United States through treaties, purchases, wars, and other agreements. The treaty recognized U.S. claims to land reaching west to the Mississippi River.
Provisional Articles: Preliminary terms agreed by the United States and Britain as the basis for their 1783 peace treaty. They supplied the settlement that the final treaty incorporated.
American Revolutionary War: The war from 1775 to 1783 in which Britain and its American colonies fought over independence. The treaty formally ended this conflict between Britain and the United States.
Indigenous peoples in the American Revolutionary War: The Native nations and communities that pursued varied alliances and strategies during the American Revolutionary War. The treaty transferred claims to Indigenous lands without their participation or consent.
Mississippi River: A major North American river flowing south from Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico. It formed the western boundary of the United States established by the treaty.
John Jay: An American diplomat and statesman who served as a negotiator of the 1783 peace treaty. He pressed Britain to negotiate directly with the United States and helped shape the settlement.
Siege of Yorktown: The 1781 campaign in Virginia that ended with the surrender of a major British army to American and French forces. The defeat weakened Britain’s resolve to continue the war in North America.
Northwest Territory: The region north of the Ohio River and west of Pennsylvania that the United States claimed after independence. The treaty placed this contested region within U.S. boundaries despite Indigenous nations’ continuing claims.
Loyalist (American Revolution): A colonist who supported the British Crown during the American Revolution. The treaty recommended that states restore confiscated Loyalist property, but did not compel them.
Benjamin Franklin: An American diplomat, writer, and statesman who helped secure French support during the Revolution and negotiated the peace treaty. He was one of the American commissioners who negotiated the agreement in Paris.

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