Covers the 1776 Declaration of Independence, the Revolutionary War (1775-1783, with disputed casualty figures), the 1781 Articles of Confederation, and the 1783 Treaty of Paris. It does not cover the drafting and ratification of the US Constitution, or the treaty's other provisions concerning boundaries, fishing rights, debts and Loyalist property.
The Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence on 4 July 1776, declaring "that these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States."[1] Great Britain did not recognise this declaration, and the Revolutionary War followed, causing a disputed toll of casualties variously estimated at tens of thousands of deaths on all sides.[2] The Articles of Confederation, submitted to the states in November 1777, were ratified by all thirteen states on 1 March 1781 and took effect the same day as the first US constitution.[3] Great Britain formally acknowledged American independence in the Treaty of Paris, signed 3 September 1783, under which "His Brittanic Majesty acknowledges the said United States ... to be free sovereign and independent states."[4]
Status verified as of
The United States has been an independent, sovereign state since 1776 (formally recognised by Great Britain in 1783).[4]
History
From the 1776 Declaration of Independence to Great Britain's formal recognition of American independence in the 1783 Treaty of Paris.
188 words · 1 min read
· Conflict episode
Fighting between American and British forces from 1775 to 1783 caused a disputed toll of casualties, including roughly 6,800 American combat deaths, about 17,000 further American deaths from disease, and 43,633 British military deaths.
Significance here: The armed conflict between the 1776 declaration and the 1783 Treaty of Paris.
· Declaration
The Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence on 4 July 1776, declaring the thirteen United Colonies free and independent states.
Significance here: The founding declaration of the United States, though British recognition followed only after the Revolutionary War, formalised by the Treaty of Paris in 1783.
· Constitutional change
The Articles of Confederation, drafted and submitted to the states on 15 November 1777, were ratified by all thirteen states when Maryland approved them on 1 March 1781, taking effect the same day as the first US constitution.
Significance here: The first constitutional framework of the United States, in force during the final years of the Revolutionary War and the negotiation of the Treaty of Paris.
· Agreement
Great Britain formally acknowledged the independence of the United States in the Treaty of Paris, signed 3 September 1783, ending the Revolutionary War.
Significance here: Great Britain's formal, negotiated recognition of American independence, concluding the Revolutionary War.
Each number marks a specific claim. Notes give the source, its locator and how it relates to the claim.
Claim: The Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence on 4 July 1776. Its opening read: "When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another..." Its concluding operative paragraph stated: "We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled...do...solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States."
Claim: Fighting between American and British forces began in April 1775 and continued through the war for independence until 1783. Published casualty figures vary: one tally cites roughly 6,800 American combat deaths and about 17,000 further American deaths from disease (totalling roughly 25,000 US military deaths), alongside 43,633 British military deaths, 7,774 German auxiliary deaths, and an estimated 25,000 civilian deaths; some sources cite American deaths as high as 70,000, likely reflecting overlapping counts. No single figure is treated as authoritative.
Claim: The Articles of Confederation were drafted and submitted to the states for ratification on 15 November 1777. Ratification was delayed for nearly four years by a dispute between Virginia and Maryland over claims to western land; Maryland's approval on 1 March 1781 completed ratification by all thirteen states, and the Articles took effect the same day as the first constitution of the United States.
Claim: The Treaty of Paris, signed 3 September 1783, provided in Article 1: "His Brittanic Majesty acknowledges the said United States, viz., New Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay, Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia, to be free sovereign and independent states, that he treats with them as such, and for himself, his heirs, and successors, relinquishes all claims to the government, propriety, and territorial rights of the same and every part thereof."