Head Researcher O’Hare, Lead on the F.A.S. regions
Subject: The Peace of Paris
The American Revolutionary War would unfold much of the same as OTL with the minor exceptions being the Yorktown equivalent occurring in Williamsburg and such. Lord Cornwallis would show much more dignity in his surrender to General Washington by surrendering in person to him [1]. Preliminary peace articles were signed in November 1782 in Paris despite this officially the war would not end until October 1783 with the signing of the Treaty of Paris. The Peace of Paris would be fraught with diplomatic intrigue from all parties involved from the Americans to the Dutch. The Quebec Historian Stanislas Girard would begin his book “The Road to America: The Transition of Quebec National Identity” with a remarkably insightful examination of the Peace of Paris and the entire negotiation process.
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“Asking for the aide of merchants, slave traders, and the friends of the colonials to speak for us was a failure of our government. Because of them we have suffered a great humiliation with our so called peace with the Americans. This mistake must never be again repeated”
-King George III during a private conversation with his son.
The Peace of Paris would be the most important peace conference of the 18th century for the rest of the world, in Europe is was simply another place to reevaluate old feuds. It would see the creation of new states, and change the dynamic of the old ones. For Europe what was a transition of territory would be something that would change how the world operated. Americans would see that freedom from Europe was possible and Europeans would see their own failures and adjust for how the rest of the world reacted to them for the first time. It started the paths of Absolutism for some and Liberty for others.
News of General Cornwallis’ surrender at Williamsburg would reach Britain in November 1781 arriving just in time for the Parliamentary debates for military spending for the following year. The surrender changed what was a former policy of aggressive “offensive” war with long campaigns away from fortified centers to one of consolidation and “defensive” war till peace would come. At the beginning of that January it was learned the French had captured severally British islands in the West Indies. The Royal navy would dispatch a fleet to the islands in hope of reclaiming them.
The Home government would however be in Shambles. Parliament would was in shambles. In the following weeks Parliament voted for a guarantee of the “no offensive war” claim made in the fall on the grounds it would be futile and just weaken England in the face of her European Rivals. By March this position would be affirmed by the loss of three more West Indian Islands and the Mediterranean base on Minorca in February. Gibraltar itself had been threatened since the beginning of the American Alliance with France. The opposition in Parliament then began tabling motions alleging that Great Britain had no confidence in its government; the first of these was rejected by just 10 votes, another a week later by 9 votes. Hours before yet another such vote was due, on 20 March, the government leader, Lord North, persuaded the King to accept his resignation (this set a precedent that successful Parliamentary votes of "no confidence" would automatically force a Prime Minister to resign). The King's choice as replacement, Lord Shelburne (who, though an old friend of Benjamin Franklin, had initially stated in February that he "would never consent, under any possible given circumstances, to acknowledge the independency of America") refused the post, leading to the formation of a strange new government team, nominally led by Lord Rockingham, whom the King hated, with Shelburne and Charles James Fox, who hated each other, as Secretaries of State. [2]
Rockingham’s team would quickly realize that their priority was to get out of its four linked wars (against the US, France, Spain, and the United Provinces) and to ensure Britain got the best possible deal it needed to ensure each of these wars were negotiated independently. Henry Laurens, the American envoy to the Netherlands who had been captured on his way to Amsterdam, would begin the informal talks on the behalf of the Americans. Laurens would indicate that America could not make peace with the British unless France agreed to the settlement. This Notion would be affirmed by the other American envoy’s in the region, Benjamin Franklin in France, John Adams in the Netherlands, and John Jay in Spain. Unfortunately for the Americans, France could not agree to a peace unless the Spanish agreed as well. Spain’s non-negotiable was the reclamation of Gibraltar, which despite being under siege for the last three years had been largely unsuccessful. France and Spain made overtures that they would accept West Indian islands instead of Gibraltar, leading to a difficult position for the British government between unhindered trade in the Mediterranean or the vast profits of the West Indies.
Initially the British government decided to resist accepting American independence as a precondition for negotiation, as they were aware that the French government was nearly bankrupt, and there was hope that the British reinforcements in the West Indies would reverse the situation there. British negotiators would send Richard Oswald an old slave-trading partner of Henry Laurens as one of the negotiators for Brittan. . His first talks with Franklin led to a proposal that Britain should hand over Canada to the Americans. Lord Shelburne, without specifically referring to the terms of that proposal, attempted to keep the proposal secret from his colleges and others, replied with an offer to accept full American independence, but on the existing borders. However word of such an agreement got out. A war weary parliament disagreed with wholesale agreement but several members would make it known they would be willing for negotiation of Canada. I idea of American Independence would be largely accepted as an eventuality.
A second British envoy, Thomas Grenville, was now sent to begin talks with the French government, based on this proposal. He indicated that the French could help to secure American independence, their avowed reason for entering the war back in 1778, by offering to return the British possessions they had captured in the West Indies, but the French rejected this, and separated their own peace demands from America's. That did indeed violate the spirit of their alliance with America, and fundamentally affected the future of the negotiations. Another factor which gave added power to the Americans was the decision of the Dutch Republic to recognize John Adams as the ambassador of an independent country. This led swiftly to the offer of a much-needed loan from the Netherlands, following which Adams went to Paris to join the impending peace negotiations. The loans would be immensely important to neutralize the French from holding such debts over them to continue fighting.
The French too played their diplomatic cards with some skill. While preparing to aid the Spanish forces in a massive assault on the fortress at Gibraltar, they stalled for time by insisting on American independence as a precondition for negotiation. They also sent a secret envoy to speak directly with Rockingham [3] in England, for there were some matters on which they were seriously opposed to the Americans. The most notable of these was the rich Newfoundland fishery, one of the main factors which had drawn the French across the Atlantic over 250 years earlier, and which they had managed to retain as a concession when the British took Canada in 1763. As British colonists, the Americans had rights to fish in these waters, but as United States only conquered the mouth of the St. Lawrence River, so would have no legal right to fish there unless it could be written into the peace treaty. For Britain, the logical course would be to make France give its rights to the Americans. The Americans also wanted fishing rights in the Gulf of Mexico, to which again they had previously been entitled thanks to the British colonies in Florida (now partly controlled by Spain).
The French and Spanish negotiators were also concerned about the American insistence on the Mississippi River as a western border; the existing area of the thirteen States was already about as large as France and Spain combined, and the proposed border would double that. In particular Spain's territories in Louisiana (New France) (and the newly reconquered West Florida) would be severely threatened if the American trend of economic growth based on land-grabs continued. The situation of the actual current occupiers of this land, the American Indians, was noted, Despite Shelburne’s insistence that their resistance would ultimately be minimal Fox, Who opposed on spire, would convince Rockingham to think this was a larger barrier than it was. In their opposition to this expansion, ironically, the French and Spanish governments were effectively supporting the British on one of the points which had begun the move towards revolution in the 1760s—the use of military forces (paid for by taxes) to maintain a clear border between the colonies and the American Indian lands west of the Appalachians. Even more ironically, the American case was strengthened by the charters of the earliest colonies, which specified, in deliberate disregard of the claims of other nations that they could expand from the east coast of America to the west coast. More so John Adams would greatly aid the peace process by separating the issues of personal debts and war reparations.
The Siege of Gibraltar would experience its greatest failure in August when the French and Spanish’s assault on Gibraltar ended in disaster. Not only did the assailants fail in there assault they allowed runners into the fortress to resupply the fortress The French had done all they could to help the Spanish achieve their essential war aim, and began serious discussions on alternative exit strategies, urging Spain to offer Britain some really large concessions in return for Gibraltar. Nonetheless, the fortress remained under siege. Spain’s ultimate war goal seemed impossible at this moment and the French willingly entered peace negotiations.
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The Treaty would go on to be very similar to OTL with the strengthened position of the Americans As well as the weakened position from the Blunders committed by the British rule .like the OTL treaty would fail to account for the changing border of Florida which would establish the southern Border to Florida. The issue arose because the northern Border was not solidly met with the Spanish-British interpretations which would lead to issues during the Spanish Revolts 20 years later. I have decided to include the treaties’ key points for further examination as well as a map of the specified borders. I would like to note that the Peace of Paris’ effects would resonate with the British people and the King who both felt they had lost more than they deserved during the war. Parliament itself would be at odds for the rest of the war and the death of Prime Minister Rockingham [4] would result Lord Shelburne to rise to the position with a sense of bitterness toward Oswald, and his fellow Slavers.
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The American-British Treaty
1. Acknowledging the United States (viz. the Colonies) to be free, sovereign and independent states, and that the British Crown and all heirs and successors relinquish claims to the Government, property, and territorial rights of the same, and every part thereof;
2. Establishing the boundaries between the United States and British North America with the western border being defined by the Mississippi River and the northern Border defined by The Hudson Bay Companies lands, Nova Scotia, and a new border of Quebec just north of Montreal
3. Granting fishing rights to United States fishermen in the Grand Banks, off the coast of Newfoundland and in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence;
4. Granting Fishing Rights of the British in the Saint Lawrence River as well as the Great Lakes.
5. Recognizing the lawful contracted debts to be paid to creditors on either side;
6. The Congress of the Confederation will "earnestly recommend" to state legislatures to recognize the rightful owners of all confiscated lands "provide for the restitution of all estates, rights, and properties, which have been confiscated belonging to real British subjects Loyalists";
7. United States will prevent future confiscations of the property of Loyalists;
8. Prisoners of war on both sides are to be released and all property left by the British army in the United States unmolested (including slaves);
9. Great Britain and the United States were each to be given perpetual access to the Mississippi River;
10. Territories captured by Americans subsequent to treaty will be returned without compensation;
11. Ratification of the treaty was to occur within six months from the signing by the contracting parties.
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The British-French Treaty
1. Declaration of peace, and forgetfulness of past problems.
2. Confirmation of old treaties between the two nations.
3. Exchange of prisoners and hostages to take place within 6 weeks of ratification; also ships (naval and merchant) captured after hostilities at sea officially cease are to be returned
4. British crown to retain Newfoundland and adjacent islands, except Saint Pierre and Miquelon.
5. French crown surrenders fishing rights between Cape Bonavista and Cape St. John (on the east coast of Newfoundland); but instead keeps fishing rights between Cape St. John and Cape Ray (round the west coast of Newfoundland).
6. The French may still fish in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
7. In the West Indies, British crown surrenders Saint Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent, Montserrat, and Barbados [5].
8. French crown returns Grenada, Dominica, St. Christopher's (St. Kitts), and to Britain, subject to guarantees of the right of French settlers in any of those islands.
9. In Africa, British crown surrenders the Senegal River area to France, and returns to France the island of Gorée.
10. French crown guarantees to British crown possession of the Gambia River area and Fort James.
11. British shall have right to carry on the gum trade from the mouth of the River St. John to Portendic Bay, but may not establish permanent settlements there (boundaries of the various African possessions to be determined by commissioners to be chosen within 3 months of ratification).
12. British and French access to other parts of the African coast to continue as customary.
13. In India, British crown returns to France all settlements on the Orissa coast and in Bengal, as at the beginning of the war—with liberty for the French to make a ditch round Chandannagar and will as far as possible provide security for French trade in the area.
14. The British crown also delivers Pondicherry and Karikal to France, with additions to the former at Valanour and Bahour, and the latter absorbing the four Magans bordering on it.
15. Mahé and the factory at Surat also returned to French control, with security provisions as in Article 13.
16. Britain and France will cease to aid their respective Indian allies against each other within four months ceasefire orders having already been sent to British and French forces in India.
17. British crown abandons restrictions on French use of the port of Dunkirk in France.
18. The two crowns will make new commercial agreements by the end of 1786.
19. All territories conquered by either side since the war began, and not mentioned above, are to be returned to their pre-war owners.
20. The two nations should be able to enter into their respective possessions of St. Pierre & Miquelon, St. Lucia, Gorée, Grenada, the Grenadines, St. Vincent, Dominica, St. Christopher, Nevis & Montserrat, within three months of ratification of the treaty. For Indian towns etc., within 6 months.
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The Treaties with Spain and the Dutch would be almost exactly the same as their OTL counterpart with minor changes with the exception of British Loggers would not be allowed to navigate the Belize River.
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[1]In OTL he was so ashamed of the defeat he would send his colonial to surrender for him.
[2] This is all per OTL
[3] Rockingham would have died by this period OTL, and Lord Shelburne would take over his government causing Fox to resign.
[4] Rockingham would only be spared from death for a few months before he was stricken with fever and died in his home 3 weeks after the treaty was signed.
[5] The French would have to return many of the British West Indies as the British Retook many of the conquered Islands in OTL
[6] Ceasefire orders having already been sent to British and French forces in India.