They took their time ending wars in the 18th century, when all they had was dial-up, and cell phone service was worse than AT&T’s. British Major General Cornwallis had surrendered to George Washington almost 2 years before, ending the American Revolution, but it took that long to give us a reason to celebrate
NATIONAL TREATY OF PARIS DAY!
September 3, 1783 marked the official end of the war between the British Empire and her former American Colonies.
When representatives of King George III, David Hartley and Richard Oswald, sat down to sign the Treaty of Paris, they were across the table from 3 American superstars: Benjamin Franklin, John Adams and John Jay, signatories to this historic treaty with the world’s first democracy since Julius Caesar decided that everything just wasn’t enough.
Later that day Britain signed separate peace agreements with Spain, France and The Netherlands, and these 4 world powers officially recognized the sovereignty of the United States of America. So miffed were the British over losing her lucrative North American colonies, The King’s representatives who signed the document refused to pose for the official portrait, which remains unfinished.
Afterwards, Franklin issued one of his most enduring quotations: “I’m going to Disneyland!”
•Suggested Activities: Flipping the bird.