Paris peace treaty of 1783

Jim Bayne
Published: November 30, 2008

Editor’s note: This is the first of two parts on the Treaty of Paris, which ended the Revolutionary War.

The war is won; peace must now be secured.

The surrender of Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown on Oct. 19, 1781 brought an end to organized hostilities leaving only sporadic fighting with renegade units in remote areas of our new nation.

It is said that the road to war is like a smooth and broad avenue while the path to peace is fraught with many perils. Word of our victory at Yorktown reached Paris by way of a French frigate — which made a rapid trip across the Atlantic — well before reaching London. On the night of Nov. 19 Benjamin Franklin received word of the victory from French Foreign Minister Vergennes. It was not until Nov. 26 that Lord North learned of the defeat whereof he proclaimed “My God! All is over”. The British Parliament was outraged and North resigned his post after serving in it for some 12 years.

Benjamin Franklin had been serving our cause and living in France since 1777 and with the British surrender at Yorktown expressed to the Continental Congress his desire to retire. Congress did not accept his request, but instead appointed him to a commission to negotiate the peace. Reluctant, but with his strong sense of duty, he accepted the appointment. He wrote to John Adams saying that he held no ambition with being concerned in forming this peace document but that he would be honored to serve with Adams and would serve to the best of his ability.

Congress named three additional members to the commission including Thomas Jefferson, Henry Laurens and John Jay. Jefferson remained in America and never joined the group. Laurens was, at the time, a prisoner of the British in the Tower of London and was of no help. After a lapse of several months Jay who was in Spain joined Franklin and Adams in France and was a helpful member of the commission. Adams, at the time of his appointment, was in Holland negotiating with the Dutch for additional financial support.

The guidance provided to the Commissioners from the Congress carried two items that were not negotiable: Acknowledgement by the British of our Independence and the continuation of our existing treaty with France. All other matters were left to the discretion of the commissioners. On the surface it appeared that the Commissioners had been dealt a strong hand but there were undercurrents back home. Arthur Lee fought against the appointment of Franklin and even after it was made continued his slanderous attacks on Franklin’s character. It was Lee’s position that Franklin was beholden to France and that he was a dishonest and incapable man. While Lee was overt in his protestations about Franklin there were many others who viewed Franklin with skepticism. Even John Adams, who held no love for Britain, had reservations about our continuing relations with France. Adams held that nations had no friends, only interests, and that the French would pursue those interests to our detriment. John Jay held a similar view believing that Vergennes would delay negotiations in order to further our dependence upon France.

Franklin was being assailed from all corners for his steadfast appreciation of the support given us by the French and deflected these attacks saying it is our relationship with France that provides us with the leverage to have respect throughout Europe. He admonished that were we to undo the trust we held with France and forgo her support then Britain would seize the opportunity and destroy us as no nation would now come to the aid of a nation so callous as to turn its back on a friend.

These diversions and hindrances to progress took place in the waning months of 1781 and through the early months of 1782. In April Richard Oswald arrived in France as the representative of the new ministry in Britain. Lord Rockingham was the new Prime Minister; Charles Fox was Foreign Minister; and Lord Shelburne was the secretary of state for home and colonial affairs. Oswald seemed to be a wise choice. Henry Laurens had written from his cell in the Tower of London that Oswald was a man of candor and integrity. Vergennes wrote that he was a wise man without ideas of intrigue. Indeed, Oswald was of such wealth that service to his country was all that he wished.

Franklin was not persuaded early on that all was as it seemed particularly when Oswald suggested that they meet privately with Vergennes being pointedly excluded. He felt that this was an attempt to effect a split between France and America. Franklin’s wariness proved prescient when Oswald proclaimed that France and America would suffer should it be confused that the British tiring of the war in America also represented a tiring of their defense of British interests in the face of French assaults.

As Franklin gathered his thoughts and prepared for the negotiations of peace, he pondered the pent up resentment that was held by his countrymen for the property, homes, towns and lives taken by the British in our struggle. What would be a fair recompense? His thoughts turned to Canada and so the initial parry was made to Oswald. What better way to mend relations between the two countries than for the British to offer Canada to America?

Oswald was impressed with this opening salvo by Franklin and agreed to take the proposal back to Shelburne. The amicable attitude of Oswald dispelled all of the early reservations Franklin had about the man setting on the opposite side of the negotiating table.

In the concluding article about the Treaty of 1783, we will learn of the results of Oswald’s return to London and Shelburne’s reaction to Franklin’s proposal.

Jim Bayne is the immdediate past president of the Virginia Society, Sons of the American Revolution. He can be reached at .