274 lines
14 KiB
Plaintext
274 lines
14 KiB
Plaintext
THE PARIS PEACE TREATY (PEACE TREATY of 1783)
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In the name of the most holy and undivided Trinity.
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It having pleased the Divine Providence to dispose the hearts of the
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most serene and most potent Prince George the Third, by the grace of
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God, king of Great Britain, France, and Ireland, defender of the faith,
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duke of Brunswick and Lunebourg, arch-
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treasurer and prince elector of the Holy Roman Empire etc., and of the
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United States of America, to forget all past misunderstandings and
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differences that have unhappily interrupted the good correspondence and
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friendship which they mutually wish to restore, and to establish such a
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beneficial and satisfactory intercourse , between the two countries
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upon the ground of reciprocal advantages and mutual convenience as may
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promote and secure to both perpetual peace and harmony; and having for
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this desirable end already laid the foundation of peace and reconcilia-
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tion by the Provisional Articles signed at Paris on the 30th of
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November 1782, by the commissioners empowered on each part, which
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articles were agreed to be inserted in and constitute the Treaty of
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Peace proposed to be concluded between the Crown of Great Britain and
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the said United States, but which treaty was not to be concluded until
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terms of peace should be agreed upon between Great Britain and France
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and his Britannic Majesty should be ready to conclude such treaty
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accordingly; and the treaty between Great Britain and France having
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since been concluded, his Britannic Majesty and the United States of
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America, in order to carry into full effect the Provisional Articles
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above mentioned, according to the tenor thereof, have constituted and
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appointed, that is to say his Britannic Majesty on his part, David
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Hartley, Esqr., member of the Parliament of Great Britain, and the said
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United States on their part, John Adams, Esqr., late a commissioner of
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the United States of America at the court of Versailles, late delegate
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in Congress from the state of Massachusetts, and chief justice of the
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said state, and minister plenipotentiary of the said United States to
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their high mightinesses the States General of the United Netherlands;
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Benjamin Franklin, Esqr., late delegate in Congress from the state of
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Pennsylvania, president of the convention of the said state, and
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minister plenipotentiary from the United States of America at the court
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of Versailles; John Jay, Esqr., late president of Congress and chief
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justice of the state of New York, and minister plenipotentiary from the
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said United States at the court of Madrid; to be plenipotentiaries for
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the concluding and signing the present definitive treaty; who after
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having reciprocally communicated their respective full powers have
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agreed upon and confirmed the following articles.
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ARTICLE 1
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His Brittanic Majesty acknowledges the said United States, viz., New
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Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay, Rhode Island and Providence Plantations,
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Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia,
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North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia, to be free sovereign and
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independent states, that he treats with them as such, and for himself,
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his heirs, and successors, relinquishes all claims to the government,
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propriety, and territorial rights of the same and every part thereof.
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ARTICLE 2
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And that all disputes which might arise in future on the subject of the
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boundaries of the said United States may be prevented, it is hereby
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agreed and declared, that the following are and shall be their boun-
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daries, viz.; from the northwest angle of Nova Scotia, viz., that nagle
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which is formed by a line drawn due north from the source of St. Croix
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River to the highlands; along the said highlands which divide those
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rivers that empty themselves into the river St. Lawrence, from those
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which fall into the Atlantic Ocean, to the northwesternmost head of
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Connecticut River; thence down along the middle of that river to the
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forty-fifth degree of north latitude; from thence by a line due west on
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said latitude until it strikes the river Iroquois or Cataraquy; thence
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along the middle of said river into Lake Ontario; through the middle of
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said lake until it strikes the communication by water between that lake
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and Lake Erie; thence along the middle of said communication into Lake
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Erie, through the middle of said lake until it arrives at the water
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communication between that lake and Lake Huron; thence along the middle
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of said water communication into Lake Huron, thence through the middle
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of said lake to the water communication between that lake and Lake
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Superior; thence through Lake Superior northward of the Isles Royal and
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Phelipeaux to the Long Lake; thence through the middle of said Long
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Lake and the water communication between it and the Lake of the Woods,
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to the said Lake of the Woods; thence through the said lake to the most
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northwesternmost point thereof, and from thence on a due west course to
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the river Mississippi; thence by a line to be drawn along the middle of
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the said river Mississippi until it shall intersect the northernmost
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part of the thirty-first degree of north latitude, South, by a line to
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be drawn due east from the determination of the line last mentioned in
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the latitude of thirty-one degrees of the equator, to the middle of the
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river Apalachicola or Catahouche; thence along the middle thereof to
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its junction with the Flint River, thence straight to the head of Saint
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Mary's River; and thence down along the middle of Saint Mary's River to
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the Atlantic Ocean; east, by a line to be drawn along the middle of the
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river Saint Croix, from its mouth in the Bay of Fundy to its source,
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and from its source directly north to the aforesaid highlands which
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divide the rivers that fall into the Atlantic Ocean from those which
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fall into the river Saint Lawrence; comprehending all islands within
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twenty leagues of any part of the shores of the United States, and
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lying between lines to be drawn due east from the points where the
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aforesaid boundaries between Nova Scotia on the one part and East
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Florida on the other shall, respectively, touch the Bay of Fundy and
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the Atlantic Ocean, excepting such islands as now are or heretofore
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have been within the limits of the said province of Nova Scotia.
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ARTICLE 3
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It is agreed that the people of the United States shall continue to
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enjoy unmolested the right to take fish of every kind on the Grand Bank
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and on all the other banks of Newfoundland, also in the Gulf of Saint
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Lawrence and at all other places in the sea, where the inhabitants of
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both countries used at any time heretofore to fish. And also that the
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inhabitants of the United States shall have liberty to take fish of
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every kind on such part of the coast of Newfoundland as British
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fishermen shall use, (but not to dry or cure the same on that island)
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and also on the coasts, bays and creeks of all other of his Brittanic
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Majesty's dominions in America; and that the American fishermen shall
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have liberty to dry and cure fish in any of the unsettled bays,
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harbors, and creeks of Nova Scotia, Magdalen Islands, and Labrador, so
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long as the same shall remain unsettled, but so soon as the same or
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either of them shall be settled, it shall not be lawful for the said
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fishermen to dry or cure fish at such settlement without a previous
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agreement for that purpose with the inhabitants, proprietors, or
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possessors of the ground.
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ARTICLE 4
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It is agreed that creditors on either side shall meet with no lawful
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impediment to the recovery of the full value in sterling money of all
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bona fide debts heretofore contracted.
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ARTICLE 5
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It is agreed that Congress shall earnestly recommend it to the legisla-
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tures of the respective states to provide for the restitution of all
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estates, rights, and properties, which have been confiscated belonging
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to real British subjects; and also of the estates, rights, and proper-
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ties of persons resident in districts in the possession on his Majes-
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ty's arms and who have not borne arms against the said United States.
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And that persons of any other decription shall have free liberty to go
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to any part or parts of any of the thirteen United States and therein
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to remain twelve months unmolested in their endeavors to obtain the
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restitution of such of their estates, rights, and properties as may
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have been confiscated; and that Congress shall also earnestly recommend
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to the several states a reconsideration and revision of all acts or
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laws regarding the premises, so as to render the said laws or acts
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perfectly consistent not only with justice and equity but with that
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spirit of conciliation which on the return of the blessings of peace
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should universally prevail. And that Congress shall also earnestly
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recommend to the several states that the estates, rights, and proper-
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ties, of such last mentioned persons shall be restored to them, they
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refunding to any persons who may be now in possession the bona fide
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price (where any has been given) which such persons may have paid on
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purchasing any of the said lands, rights, or properties since the
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confiscation.
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And it is agreed that all persons who have any interest in confiscated
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lands, either by debts, marriage settlements, or otherwise, shall meet
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with no lawful impediment in the prosecution of their just rights.
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ARTICLE 6
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That there shall be no future confiscations made nor any prosecutions
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commenced against any person or persons for, or by reason of, the part
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which he or they may have taken in the present war, and that no person
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shall on that account suffer any future loss or damage, either in his
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person, liberty, or property; and that those who may be in confinement
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on such charges at the time of the ratification of the treaty in
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America shall be immediately set at liberty, and the prosecutions so
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commenced be discontinued.
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ARTICLE 7
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There shall be a firm and perpetual peace between his Brittanic Majesty
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and the said states, and between the subjects of the one and the
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citizens of the other, wherefore all hostilities both by sea and land
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shall from henceforth cease. All prisoners on both sides shall be set
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at liberty, and his Brittanic Majesty shall with all convenient speed,
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and without causing any destruction, or carrying away any Negroes or
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other property of the American inhabitants, withdraw all his armies,
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garrisons, and fleets from the said United States, and from every post,
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place, and harbor within the same; leaving in all fortifications, the
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American artilery that may be therein; and shall also order and cause
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all archives, records, deeds, and papers belonging to any of the said
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states, or their citizens, which in the course of the war may have
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fallen into the hands of his officers, to be forthwith restored and
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delivered to the proper states and persons to whom they belong.
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ARTICLE 8
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The navigation of the river Mississippi, from its source to the ocean,
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shall forever remain free and open to the subjects of Great Britain and
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the citizens of the United States.
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ARTICLE 9
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In case it should so happen that any place or territory belonging to
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Great Britain or to the United States should have been conquered by the
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arms of either from the other before the arrival of the said Provisi-
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onal Articles in America, it is agreed that the same shall be restored
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without difficulty and without requiring any compensation.
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ARTICLE 10
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The solemn ratifications of the present treaty expedited in good and
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due form shall be exchanged between the contracting parties in the
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space of six months or sooner, if possible, to be computed from the day
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of the signatures of the present treaty. In witness whereof we the
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undersigned, their ministers plenipotentiary, have in their name and in
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virtue of our full powers, signed with our hands the present definitive
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treaty and caused the seals of our arms to be affixed thereto.
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Done at Paris, this third day of September in the year of our Lord, one
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thousand seven hundred and eighty-three.
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D. HARTLEY (SEAL)
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JOHN ADAMS (SEAL)
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B. FRANKLIN (SEAL)
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JOHN JAY (SEAL)
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------------------------------------
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Source: United States, Department of State
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"Treaties and Other International Agreements of the United States of
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America, 1776-1949", vol 12, pp8-12
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The Peace Treaty of 1783, also known as The Paris Peace Treaty, ended
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the United States War for Independence. Representing England was
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Richard Oswald, chief negotiator under the Earl of Shelburne, the
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Secretary of State; signing for Britain was David Hartley. Represent-
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ing the United States of America were John Adams, Benjamin Franklin,
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and John Jay, all of whom signed the treaty.
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This treaty gave formal recognition to the United States of America,
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established her boundaries, (at the time), secured certain fishing
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rights, addressed problems between creditors, provided fair treatment
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for those who decided to remain loyal to Great Britain, and opened up
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the Mississippi River to navigation by citizens of both signatory
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nations.
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------------------------------------
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Prepared by Gerald Murphy (The Cleveland Free-Net - aa300)
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