09/03/2026
While most of the fanfare around America's 250th birthday focused on the July 4th, 1776 anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, an argument could be made that America's real 250th birthday won't happen until September 3rd, 2033.
Why? Because it wasn't until this date, September 3rd, in 1783, that the Treaty of Paris was signed by delegates of both the United States and the United Kingdom. The signing of the Treaty of Paris marked the official end of the American Revolutionary War.
Delegates from both countries convened in Paris to formally end hostilities in April of 1782, with negotiations continuing for a year. The United States delegates were John Jay, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Henry Laurens, and William Temple Franklin. Only David Hartley and Richard Oswald represented the United Kingdom.
The Treaty of Paris was exceedingly generous to the United States, with some suggesting it was deliberate to ensure that the US and UK could maintain a trade relationship. The United States was given complete independence from the United Kingdom. Additionally, the US-British North American border was established to be at the Mississippi River to the west, along with fishing rights in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. In return, the United States would not harm any loyalists remaining in the US and would compensate them for any damaged property.
The Congress of the Confederation ratified the treaty in January of 1784.
*The painting shared with this post was representative of the delegates negotiating the Treaty of Paris, although the British Representatives refused to sit for the painting, which is why the painting remains incomplete.
