The Treaty of Paris was a formal agreement between America and Great Britain, signed on September 3, 1783. The signed agreement recognized American independence, established borders for the new nation, and formally ended the Revolutionary War. Articles of the treaty were being formed as early as 1782, and the Treaty of Paris was finally ratified by the Continental Congress in 1784. The treaty contained ten articles, or key points, and the preface declares the intention of both America and Great Britain to forget all past differences and misunderstandings.
Preparing for Peace
Following the British defeat at Yorktown, peace talks commenced in Paris in April, 1782. The intent of the peace commissioners was to define and write an agreement
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It was a most important document in history, because it was a formal declaration of peace, ending the Revolutionary War, and ending the struggle for America’s freedom from the British. The treaty consisted of ten important articles, each of which is very detailed, in order to prevent any ambiguity in the years following the signing.
The ten articles began with the acknowledgment of the United States as free, independent, and sovereign states, with the British relinquishing all claims. In the second article, boundaries are defined. The United States boundaries were considered generous, extending to the Mississippi River to the west, but in turn, Great Britain retained Canada. Article three states that America is guaranteed access to the Newfoundland fisheries.
Articles four through six, and nine address property and restitution of estates following the War. American Congress would recommend providing restitution of all estates and properties which were taken during the war. Both America and Great Britain would recognize their own contracted debts to be paid to creditors, and the United States would prevent future confiscations of property. Article seven guaranteed releasing any prisoners of war on either side. Article eight grants perpetual access of the Mississippi River to the United States and Great Britain. The final article indicated that ratification of the treaty was to occur within six months of