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Well
Worth Cutting the Trees: The Very
Treaty-of-Paris-Signature Desk
Treaty of Paris — September 3, 1783
This treaty is part of the
1783 Peace of Paris,
also called the 1783 Peace of
Versailles.
Image Above
The U.S. State
Department tells us:
It was on this
desk that the Treaty of Paris was signed in
1783 – ending the American Revolutionary
War.
The desk was
in the Paris apartments of the British
Commissioner, David Hartley, who was
negotiating on behalf of England.
On the morning
of September 3, 1783, Mr. Hartley invited
the American negotiators, John Jay, John
Adams and Benjamin Franklin, to come to his
apartments and sign the Treaty of Paris,
establishing American independence.
The Peace Treaty
The Treaty of Paris 1783 ended the
American War of Independence (1775-1783)
between its two main contestants, Great Britain and the
United States of America.
Who Signed the Treaty
of Paris 1783?
David
Hartley
for Great Britain
and
John Adams,
Benjamin Franklin, and
John Jay
for the United States
When Was This Treaty
Signed and Ratified?
Preliminary articles were signed
at Paris on November 30, 1782.
The final treaty was signed at
Paris on September 3, 1783.
The United States ratified it on January
14, 1784.
Great Britain ratified it on April 9, 1784.
Ratifications were exchanged on May 12,
1784, at Paris.
What Was Agreed Upon?
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Great Britain recognized
not only the
independence of its former colonies, now the United States,
but also their claim to all territory east of the Mississippi
River.
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The boundary between British Canada
and the United States was defined.
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Fishing rights off Newfoundland,
Labrador, and the Magdalen Islands were settled.
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Navigation of the Mississippi
River was to remain free and open to both, Great Britain and the United
States.
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Debt collectors of
both countries were not to be hindered in the execution of
their duties, which in practice
meant that British debt collectors were not to be hassled
while going after pre-war debts.
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American loyalists, i.e.
Americans who fought for or supported Britain during the war,
were to be treated fairly, and their confiscated property was
to be restored. |
Original Copies
of the 1783 Treaty of Paris
The National Archives and
Records Administration notes:
Many treaty documents, however,
can be considered as originals.
In this case, for example,
the United States and British representatives signed at
least three originals, two of which are in the holdings of
the National Archives.
On one of the signed originals the
signatures and wax seals are arranged horizontally; on the
other they are arranged vertically.
In addition, handwritten
certified copies were made for the use of Congress.
Jay Treaty 1794
Both, the United States and
Great Britain, failed to adhere to this 1783 Treaty of
Paris. The
Jay Treaty, signed on
November 19, 1794, was concluded to pick up the slack.
Maps
Here are the United States' territorial
acquisitions simplified and in a nutshell:
Map of the United States: Territorial Acquisitions
Humboldt State University
For more maps see
1783 Peace of Paris
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