Legally, the U.S. Is Not Quite 243 Years Old
It took more than seven years to negotiate the international recognition of American independence.
This week’s celebrations of the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence come seven years too early — at least in legal terms.
The Second Continental Congress may have adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, severing the 13 colonies’ political ties to the British Crown. But it took more than seven years to negotiate the new country’s formal international recognition. That finally became a legal reality on Sept. 3, 1783, when Britain and the United States signed the Treaty of Paris.
Negotiating the treaty was the first major test of U.S. diplomatic skill, and the four founding fathers who served as “peace commissioners” — John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, John Jay and Henry Laurens — achieved nothing short of a triumph. The first three signed the document.
To this day, it remains one of the most advantageous international agreements the United States has ever negotiated. In addition to formally ending the Revolutionary War and securing independence, it provided for the delineation of boundaries that would allow for the country’s western expansion.
The achievement was especially remarkable because the Americans didn’t negotiate from a position of overwhelming strength. Britain had suffered a devastating defeat at Yorktown in 1781, but it remained the world’s leading imperial power. Its navy still dominated the seas, and its troops continued to occupy New York City and other positions.
Nor did the Americans negotiate in a simple bilateral setting. France had been indispensable to the revolutionary cause, providing military, financial and diplomatic support. But the negotiators came to believe that France’s interests didn’t fully align with America’s, particularly when it came to western territory and the balance of power in North America.
Although their instructions from Congress required them to consult closely with the French, they negotiated directly with the British. It was a risky and arguably insubordinate move, but it proved decisive. By exploiting Britain’s desire to separate the United States from France and end an expensive war, the Americans secured terms far more favorable than many European observers expected.
The Americans displayed enviable confidence and skill throughout the process. The treaty’s preliminary articles had already been negotiated when a new government in London demanded changes. The U.S. delegation flatly refused to discuss new terms. Not only did the British back down, but they sent a longtime personal friend of Franklin, David Hartley, to finalize the agreement, even though he was just a member of Parliament and not a minister.
The Treaty of Paris wasn’t the first official act of American diplomacy. That honor belongs to two agreements with France — the Treaty of Alliance and the Treaty of Amity and Commerce — which established diplomatic relations between the two countries on Feb. 6, 1778.
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Still, its significance cannot be overstated. The Declaration of Independence proclaimed a new country. The Treaty of Paris secured international recognition of a new state. That distinction matters because countries aren’t born by proclamation alone. They require recognition, borders, obligations and acceptance by other states. In the eyes of the power from which the American colonies had broken away, they remained in rebellion until 1783.
Americans prefer the story of July 4 because it’s cleaner, simpler and more inspiring. A declaration is easier to celebrate than a treaty. Fireworks make more sense for an act of defiance than for a diplomatic instrument signed in a Paris hotel. But the legal birth of the United States was not only a revolutionary event. It was a diplomatic achievement.
That achievement is worth remembering at a time when U.S. diplomacy is at one of its lowest points in history — if not the lowest. The founders understood that military and diplomatic success were inseparable. George Washington’s army created leverage, but diplomats had to turn that leverage into recognized independence. While French support could sustain the war, American negotiators had to ensure that the peace served U.S. interests.
They entered the talks with clear objectives and understood the interests of the other parties. They knew when to cooperate with allies and when to resist them. They also understood that discretion, patience and expertise weren’t signs of weakness but tools of statecraft.
It’s hard to believe that the country that negotiated the Treaty of Paris nearly 243 years ago also produced the recent Memorandum of Understanding with Iran. The question is: How many Americans actually care?
Nicholas Kralev is the founder and CEO of the Washington International Diplomatic Academy, and a former Financial Times and Washington Times correspondent. His books include “Diplomatic Tradecraft,” “America’s Other Army” and “Diplomats in the Trenches.”
In the caption of the Treaty of Paris you transposed 1783 to 1873