Back to American Revolution for kids The Treaty of Paris was the official peace treaty between the United States and Britain that ended the American Revolutionary War. It was signed on September 3, 1783. The Congress of the Confederation ratified the treaty on January 14, 1784. King George III ratified the treaty on April 9, 1784. This was five weeks after the deadline, but nobody complained.Writing the Treaty The treaty was negotiated in the city of Paris, France. That's where it gets its name. There were three important Americans in France to negotiate the treaty for the United States: John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and John Jay. David Hartley, a member of the British Parliament, represented the British and King George III. The document was signed at the Hotel d'York, where David Hartley was staying. It took a long time! After the British Army surrendered at the Battle of Yorktown it still took a long time for an agreement between Britain and the United States to be signed. It was around a year and a half later that King George finally ratified the treaty! Major Points The three Americans did a great job in negotiating the treaty. They got two very important points agreed and signed off:
Other points in the treaty had to do with agreements on fishing rights, debts, prisoners of war, access to the Mississippi River, and the property of Loyalists. Both sides wanted to protect their citizen's rights and possessions. Each of the points is called an article. Today the only article that is still in force is article 1, which recognizes the United States as an independent country. 
The British didn't want to pose for the picture
Take a ten question quiz at the Treaty of Paris questions page. More on the Revolutionary War:
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