The Treaty of Paris was signed in 1783, formally granting the U.S. independence from Britain.

On October 19, 1781, Lord Cornwallis surrendered to George Washington in Yorktown, VA. It was not until almost two years later, on this day in 1783, that the official peace treaty between the new United States and Great Britain was drafted. The complexities of the American Revolution began well before the first shots of war, and so it made sense that sorting through them would last well beyond the last shots fired. When the fighting ended in Yorktown, news of the surrender went to England, where King George III and Parliament had to come to terms with the end of the fight. While King George resisted giving up, Parliament refused to finance a losing battle any further. By early 1782, Parliament took a firm stand and issued a statement that any who attempted to further the cause would be considered an enemy of His Majesty and the country. It would be yet another year, though, before delegates from the colonies would reach an agreement with the British sufficient to convince George III to issue a statement of "cessation of hostilities." Only at that point was it possible for delegates from all the countries involved—Britain, Spain, France and the new America—to come together to negotiate a peace treaty. The treaty recognized the independence of the United States of America, restored property and fishing rights, established territorial boundaries and established a procedure for removing British troops from America. Almost two years after the last official battle of the war, the American delegation returned home with a treaty of peace and independence.

EDSITEment
In Colonial Broadsides and the American Revolution (6–8), students learn about "broadsides," which were notices written on disposable single sheets of paper, intended to have an immediate impact on readers. Students use Library of Congress resources to experience the news as the colonists heard it and connect broadsides to events leading up to and occurring throughout the American Revolution.

Colonial Broadsides: A Student-Created Play (6–8) is designed to introduce students to the use of "broadsides," the single-sheet notices used widely during the time of the American Revolution. Students examine different broadsides, in particular those used in the months and years leading up to the American Revolution, and then create a play about the causes of the war.

In Voices of the American Revolution (9–12), students are taught how to make informed analyses of primary documents. Students examine a variety of primary texts that illustrate the diversity of religious, political, social and economic motives behind the American Revolution. This lesson is designed to help students to "hear" some of the colonial voices that, in the course of time and under the pressure of novel ideas and events, contributed to the American Revolution.

In Ending the War, 1783 (9–12), part of the unit The American War for Independence, students consider the various peace attempts made by both sides during the Revolutionary War. By reading a series of documents and comparing them with what was happening militarily at the time, students explore the 1783 Treaty of Paris and gain an understanding of how peace came when it did and why it took the form that it did.

ReadWriteThink
In Myth and Truth: Independence Day (3–5), students explore all the dates and stories associated with the Declaration of Independence, focusing on the reason there are so many different dates and signings of the document and on why we celebrate the nation's