The treaty of Paris was signed in 1783. Benjamin Franklin had insisted on the recognition of American independence by the British Empire. He had also refused to consider a peace separate from France, which was America’s great ally. The insistence was because he had rejected informal peace overtures for a settlement by the Great Britain, which would have provided a settlement for the thirteen states with some measure of autonomy. The cause for the recognition of the independence of America was due to the war between the Great Britain and America, which had lasted almost seven years. The Great Britain had, however, surrendered in 1782 (Jedson, 4). Though the Great Britain had the most sophisticated military at the time, the resilience of the American troops had become too much. After the Britain troops were ordered to leave their former colonies during the summer, a trial peace agreement was signed on 30th November 1782 (Jedson, 4). The trial was signed in Paris, France.
A definitive treaty was, however, needed despite the fact that the Great Britain had agreed to stop all the fighting. The main aim of the treaty was to assure that peace was guaranteed between the two nations. The terms of the treaty were to be negotiated by John Jay, John Adams and Benjamin Franklin, who were the three most talented diplomats (Renehan, 1). The representatives between the two nations met secretly for negotiations since the French diplomats were being distracted by the Spanish conflicts. The treaty was signed on 3rd September 1783 and was ratified the following year. The treaty recognized America as an independent nation. The document ranks as one of the major documents responsible for the creation of United States of America. The other documents that acts as one of the first documents responsible for the creation of the USA was the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution. The treaty of Paris is different from the declaration of independence because the treaty was signed in 1783 while the declaration was signed in 1776 (Syfert, 20). The first Article of the Act provided that the Majesty of the Great Britain acknowledged that the following states of America were free sovereign; Rhode Island, Massachusetts Bay, New Hampshire, New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Delaware, Pennsylvania and south Carolina. Such a declaration meant that the Great Britain was in no position to tamper with the ruling or anything for that matter that concerned these states.
The third Article of the Act was also outstanding as it stated that the people of the US were in a position to enjoy the Rights to take fish on the Grand Bank and any other Bank without having to be molested (Aptheker 199). Such an agreement gave the U.S citizens to take fish of whatever kind from regions where only citizens of the Great Britain Nation were only allowed in the previous regimes. The forth Article of the Act agreed that creditors from both sides of the Nations were to meet without any lawful Impediment so as to enable them recover the full value of their money (Aptheker 200). Such an agreement was good as it helped business people and other citizens to recover their money and debts from their creditors. The sixth Article of the Treaty was also good. It stated that there would be no future confiscations against any individual who had taken part in the present war. It furthers stated that no individual would suffer any future damage or loss either in person, liberty or property. Individuals who were already in confinement on such charges at the time the Treaty was ratified in America were immediately set at liberty. Any prosecutions that had already commenced were discontinued.
Works Cited
Aptheker, Herbert. The American Revolution, 1763-1783. London: Lawrence & Wishart, 1960.
Print.
Jedson, Lee. The Treaty of Paris, 1783: a primary source examination of the treaty that
recognized American Independence. New York: Rosen Central Primary Source, 2006.
Print.
Renehan, Edward. The Treaty of Paris: the precursor to a new nation. New York: Chelsea
House, 2007. Print.
Syfert, Scott. The first American Declaration of Independence: the disputed history of the
Mecklenburg Declaration of May 20, 1775. New York: McFarland, 2013. Print.
