The treaty of Paris was a peace truce that was signed between Britain and the United States. It was aimed at attending to the American revolutionary war. Negotiation involved John Adams, John Jay and Benjamin Franklin, all from America. On the other hand, the British parliament was represented by David Hartley. The proceeding occurred in Paris after which the treaty was named. The United States independence was recognized as a result.
After the signing, the Thirteen Colonies were declared and taken as liberated states. From this point, the British did not have any power over the government and the land of those nations. They were allowed to make their own rules to govern their operations and create their own national government without any form of interference emanating from the British (Wood 263).
The United States was allowed to expand its territory to the western boundaries. This was specifically important as the U.S. was able to move towards the Pacific Ocean and secure good harbors and adequate land for the expansion of industries. The land that was reserved opened new settlements that helped in decongesting some of the crowded areas. They were also granted the rights to do fishing and to explore and navigate the land that extended to Mississippi and Florida regions.
There was also a mutual agreement that the British army would leave the American territory. This initiated more peaceful atmosphere for mutual existence as the United States gained full independence. This became the most important signing that the treaty held since it was intended to promote peace.
Free Trade
Initially, the British government introduced laws and regulations that controlled trade activities in America. When the treaty was signed, the laws were repealed and the territories were allowed to engage in trade freely without stringent rules from the British. The American nations henceforth traded with one another easily and freely without any form of interference. Debts that existed before were also to be settled in a due time so that existing loans could be cleared for the beginning of the new era. An end was laid against annexation of loyalist property.
Land issues were settled and agencies were formed to determine the true and legal owners of lands not only for the Americans, but also for the loyal British settlers who had land ownership rights. This promoted mutual co-existence between them and as a result, they were able to stay and live anywhere on the land. Land rights were also laid to aid in acquisition of lands for business and settlements respectively. More factories and industrial buildings could then spring up across the nations due to availability of space.
However, as a result of the signing, some territories remained undefined and as a result disputes raged. Some provisions governing the rights also remained unenforced and it took so long for them to be put in order (Temperley 392). This caused a lot of tension to the American and the concerned nations. Many people had fear for settling in such areas, despite how productive they could have been due to possible dispute occurrence.
The British economic power rose aboveboard due to pre-existence of industrial revolution. Industries that existed while they controlled many territories improved its economic performance in the whole world that in turn boosted its success. Industrial revolution came up with new methods of production that were already being employed in Britain. This made British an economic giant because it was able to control almost all production chains.
Reactions
The French got very troubled because of losing the war as depicted by the French king demanding that his settlers return to France rather than stay in America. Tension caused many people to lose property as they considered resettlement. The signing of the treaty did not benefit them as much as other nations that made them think negatively about the treaty.
It was hard for the British to avoid Indians and they continued considering them as an issue for the cost of the war. The British discouraged settlements on the east of Appalachian Mountains in a view to mitigating any war that could rise between them and the Indians. To assume the cost of the war, the British parliament also enforced laws on colonists so that they would also get better share of the cost that was incurred during war that latter increased the bitterness on Americans. The presence of British soldiers on the American land just made it worse.
The Americans, on the other hand, felt absolute happiness when the war ended and the treaties were signed. To them, they firmly believed that on behalf of the empire they had won the war that never seemed to be ending. However, an increasing contempt on the British soldiers who remained on the American land disturbed the peace of the inhabitants. These soldiers considered themselves more powerful than the American soldiers. Until the British finally withdrew a year later, the American had unsettled feeling of humiliation.
Works Cited
Temperley, Harold. “The Treaty of Paris of 1856 and its Execution.” The Journal of Modern History, 4.3 (1932): 387-414. Print
Wood, Hugh. “The Treaty of Paris and Turkey’s Status in International Law.” American Journal of International Law, 37.2 (1943): 262-274. Print