Presents

The Treaty of Paris Period (1783-87)

Background Part 1: The Continental Congress Period

The First Continental Congress1774: The First Continental Congress was called to discuss how to respond to the Coercive or “Intolerable” Acts that the British imposed after the 1773 Boston Tea Party. Delegates from the thirteen colonies who agreed to send representatives gathered in Philadelphia on September 5, 1774.

Fun Fact:The thirteen colonies that sent representatives to the First Continental Congress were not the only British colonies in North America. There were seven other British colonies in North America at that time that did not send delegates:

1. Acadia, taken from France in 1713.2. Quebec, taken from France after the

French and Indian War.3. Nova Scotia (which included New

Brunswick and Prince Edward Island until 1784)

4. Rupert’s Land, a vast expanse that included territories eventually added to Ontario or Quebec or broken off to form Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, or ceded to the United States in 1783; what was left became the Northwest Territories and then part of Canada in 1867.

5. Newfoundland6. East Florida7. West Florida

The Declaration of Independence1776: The Declaration of Independence was signed more than a year after the Revolutionary War had begun in Massachusetts at Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775. The sitting President of Congress on July 4, 1776 was John Hancock of Massachusetts. Was he the first president of the United States? His position as the President of Congress meant that he was the political leader of the colonial rebellion and so his name would be the first one they would look for when they received the document. That’s why he signed his name so big—because he was president.

Background Part 2: The Declaration of Independence Period

1776-77: Documents of the Revolution

Declaration of Independence (1776) Articles of Confederation (1777)

Fun Fact:The Articles of Confederation were not ready when Congress declared independence. John Dickinson, who chaired the drafting committee, so strongly believed that a governing

document should be completed first that he refused to sign the Declaration of Independence. As a result, he left Congress and his home was turned into a hospital, even though he joined the military and fought the British. The Articles were passed on November 15, 1777 in York (PA) and ratified by the states on March 1, 1781 in Philadelphia. Later, Dickinson became President of Pennsylvania and then President of Delaware. As a Delaware delegate, he chaired the 1786 Annapolis Convention that was called to address the growing problems facing the nation and the inability of Congress, under the Articles, to deal with them. The final report of the 1786 Annapolis Convention called for another meeting, to be attended by all of the states, where delegates eventually wrote a new Constitution.

The Federalist PapersWhen John Jay wrote Federalist Papers #2, #3, #4, #5 and #64, he criticized the Articles of Confederation for not giving Congress the power to levy taxes or to draft an army. In an address to the people of New York, Jay stated that:

“The Congress…may make war, but are not empowered to raise men or money to carry it on; they may make peace, but without power to see the terms of it observed; they may form alliances, but without ability to comply with the stipulations on their part; they may enter into treaties of commerce, but without power to enforce them at home or abroad; they may borrow money, but without having the means of repayment; they may partly regulate commerce, but without authority to execute their ordinance; they may appoint ministers and other officers of trust, but without power to try or punish them for misdemeanors; they may resolve, but cannot execute either with dispatch or with secrecy. In short, they may consult, and deliberate, and recommend.”

Under the Articles of Confederation, Congress asked the states for voluntary contributions to fund its budget, much like the European Union and United Nations do today. The first version of the United States was a sort of “North America Union,” a collection of thirteen independent republics that had formed a regional alliance for trade and security, overseen by a weak central government that had been designed that way, on purpose, by the states.

Fun Fact:The Articles of Confederation created a weak central government by design, but the power of the state governments was far greater than today because the states had oversight over the central government. Congress could neither go to war without being attacked first nor go into debt unless three-fourths of the states approved:“The United States in Congress assembled shall never engage in a war, nor grant letters of marque or reprisal in time of peace, nor enter into any treaties or alliances, nor coin money, nor regulate the

value thereof, nor ascertain the sums and expenses necessary for the defense and welfare of the United States, or any of them, nor emit bills, nor borrow money on the credit of the United States, nor appropriate money, nor agree upon the number of vessels of war, to be built or purchased, or the number of land or sea forces to be raised, nor appoint a commander in chief of the army or navy, unless nine States assent to the same…”

In addition, if Congress adjourned without finishing their legislative agenda, a “Committee of the States” could be appointed to finish it for them:“The United States in Congress assembled shall have authority to appoint a committee, to sit in the recess of Congress, to be denominated 'A Committee of the States', and to consist of one delegate from each State; and to appoint such other committees and civil officers as may be necessary for managing the general affairs of the United States under their direction…”

Although the only time a Committee of the States was seated was when Congress was in Annapolis, should the new Constitution have retained these parts of the Articles of Confederation? Should Congress need the permission of three-fourths of the states today in order to go to war or to go into debt?

Ratifying the Articles of Confederation1781: Maryland was the last state to ratify the Articles of Confederation. Because several states had refused to give up their claims to lands west of the Appalachian Mountains, the ratification of the Articles of Confederation occurred many years after Congress had passed them in 1777. Once Virginia and New York gave up these claims, the Maryland state legislature ratified the Articles of Confederation and authorized their Delegates to Congress in Philadelphia, John Hanson and Daniel Carroll, to sign them, which they did on March 1, 1781, under President Samuel Huntington.

Fun Fact:After the Articles of Confederation were ratified on March 1, 1781 a special election was scheduled in order to select a new Congress as well as a new president who would serve a one-year term as mandated under the Articles. After this special election, John Hanson of Maryland began serving a one-year term as President of Congress on November 5, 1781. Over 8 months had passed between the Articles being ratified—under President Samuel Huntington, who was replaced for health reasons by Thomas McKean—and John Hanson taking office. (After the new Constitution was ratified by the states on June 21, 1788, the

new bicameral Congress was also seated over 8 months later, on March 4, 1789 although George Washington would not be sworn in as president until April 30, 1789). Because John Hanson became president after this special election, many people, including his descendants, have made a convincing case that Hanson should be considered the “first” President of the United States, while others, such as noted historian and author Stan Klos, who created the audio guide for this exhibit and designed many of its films and souvenirs, strongly support the viewpoint that Samuel Huntington was the “first” President of the United States because he was the president at the time the Articles were ratified.

Who was the “first” president, Samuel Huntington or John Hanson?

Let the debate continue!Want additional information about the 14

Forgotten Presidents Before George Washington?

Click on an image to learn more!http://www.treatyofpariscenter.org/presidents

The End of the Revolutionary Warand the beginning of the Treaty of Paris Period

1783: The Treaty of Paris was signed on September 3, 1783 by Americans John Adams, John Jay, Benjamin Franklin and the British negotiator, David Hartley. Elias Boudinot was the President of Congress.

The Treaty of Paris Period is the time between September 3, 1783 and May 25, 1787, the start of the Federal Convention that ended with a new Constitution. Annapolis was a key city, serving as the seat of government of the United States from November 28, 1783 to August 13, 1784. Here, George Washington voluntarily retired from the Army, ensuring civilian control over the military; the Treaty of Paris was ratified, obligating the United States to pay its war debts; and Thomas Jefferson both wrote the 1784 Land Ordinance and was appointed to represent the United States in France. After Congress had left Annapolis, delegates appointed by the Maryland legislature in Annapolis signed the 1785 Mount Vernon Compact with Virginia to share the use of the Potomac River, proving that states could work out their differences. Several states then agreed to send delegates to Annapolis to determine how—under the Articles of Confederation, the nation’s first constitution—to address a number of growing problems facing the country. At the 1786 Annapolis Convention, James Madison and Alexander Hamilton were among twelve delegates from five states who met at Mann’s Tavern and argued that since the Articles of Confederation did not provide Congress with the ability to tax or to draft soldiers, it was powerless to pay its war debts or to stop either foreign creditors from seizing American property or domestic threats such as Shays’ Rebellion. This series of events—from the signing of the Treaty of Paris in France on September 3, 1783 to the start of the Federal Convention in Philadelphia on May 25, 1787—is the Treaty of Paris Period.

Negotiating the Treaty of ParisThe Treaty of Paris negotiations included British representatives David Hartley and Richard Oswald and Americans John Adams, John Jay, Benjamin Franklin and Henry Laurens. David Hartley was a Member of Parliament who opposed both the war and the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Richard Oswald was a colonial trade specialist who also served as a trade adviser to the British government. The American Revolution is a French story as much as it is an American one. The French had more soldiers fighting the British than the colonies did. There would have been no victory without the French, so in France they

negotiated the peace. The Americans needed to send the right people to France, people who knew French society, spoke fluent French and could be effective negotiators. By the early 1780s, John Adams was a veteran American diplomat who had twice represented the United States in France, in 1777 when Henry Laurens was President of Congress, and again in 1779. However, because Adams didn’t speak French, the increasingly frustrated French government insisted on a French-speaking representative from the United States such as Benjamin Franklin, John Jay, Thomas Jefferson or Henry Laurens. Jefferson was unavailable, serving a 1-year term as governor of Virginia at the time, and Henry Laurens was serving as minister to the Netherlands, trying to gain Dutch support for the American war effort, and didn’t leave until the fall of 1780. A draft of the peace treaty was signed on November 30, 1782. The actual treaty was signed at the Hotel d’York on September 3, 1783. Laurens and Oswald did not sign it; it was signed by Adams, Jay, Franklin and Hartley. Congress was meeting in Princeton at the time the Treaty was signed.

The Negotiators and Signers John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, John Jay and Henry Laurens

Richard Oswald and David Hartley

George Washington’s ResignationAfter the Treaty of Paris was signed, it needed to be ratified by both Congress and the British Parliament—with the ratified versions then exchanged—in order to make the formal end of the war official. After the signing, Congress moved to the Old Senate Chamber at the Maryland State House in Annapolis on November 26, 1783 under President Thomas Mifflin. With the war formally over and the army disbanded, General George Washington then arrived to resign his commission in the Army before Congress and President Mifflin. Years before, Mifflin had supported replacing George Washington as Commander-in-Chief with

General Horatio Gates. During the Revolutionary War, Mifflin had held the positions of major, colonel, brigadier general and major general and ultimately was appointed to serve on the congressional Board of War after the threat to Washington’s leadership had subsided. Washington was honored twice in Annapolis—at a midday dinner catered by George Mann in what is now Annapolis City Hall and a formal ball in the evening in a function room at the Maryland State House, both on December 22, the day before his resignation on December 23.In the portrait below on display at the Maryland State House, Washington’s resignation is graciously accepted by President Mifflin, who is standing behind Washington, next to the wall.

Ratifying the Treaty of Paris

Congress had around 50 delegates from the 13 states at any given time. Each state’s delegation had one total vote. Maryland’s congressional delegation included Jeremiah Chase, the first cousin of Samuel Chase. Jeremiah also simultaneously served in the Maryland state legislature and as Mayor of Annapolis. The Treaty of Paris had stipulated that Congress approve and return the document to England within six months of being signed (it took nearly two months to cross the Atlantic). Representatives from three-quarters of the 13 states (9) had to be present for Congress to achieve a quorum. By early January of 1784, less than 9 states were represented, so a concerned Congress considered voting on ratification with only the delegates they had. However, when Richard Beresford of South Carolina arrived just a few days later, a quorum was achieved. Congress voted unanimously to ratify the Treaty of Paris by Proclamation on January 14, 1784. The printed Treaty of Paris Proclamation, signed by President Thomas Mifflin and Secretary of Congress Charles Thomson in Annapolis, is a different document than the handwritten Treaty of Paris signed in France. The Proclamation that ratified the Treaty of Paris is the document that Annapolis is famous for.The now ratified Treaty of Paris, rushed overseas to beat the deadline, was still late arriving in England. Even so, the British accepted it. British ratification took place on April 9, 1784, and each country’s ratified versions were presented and exchanged in Paris, France on May 12, 1784.

The Treaty of Paris Proclamationthat ratified the Treaty of Paris, signed in Annapolis on

January 14, 1784 (Ratification Day)

Thomas Jefferson’s 1784 Land Ordinance and Appointment to France

The 1784 Land Ordinance called for the territory west of the Appalachian Mountains—north of the Ohio River and east of the Mississippi River—to be divided into separate states. Delegate Thomas Jefferson was the principal author. The original draft contained five significant clauses:

The new states shall remain forever a part of the United States of America. They shall bear the same relation to the confederation as the original states. They shall pay their apportionment of the federal debts. They shall in their governments uphold republican forms. After the year 1800 there shall be neither slavery nor involuntary servitude.

Jefferson created the ordinance as a way to establish a north and south line that would halt the westward expansion of slavery. Delegate Richard Dobbs Spaight of North Carolina, seconded by Jacob Read of South Carolina, moved to strike out the fifth clause that restricted slavery. Seven states were needed to keep the fifth clause, but only six states supported retaining it. The measure passed on April 23, 1784 without the anti-slavery expansion clause, but Jefferson’s anger at that outcome never abated. The 1784 Land Ordinance, in effect for three years, was further augmented with the 1785 Land Ordinance before being superseded by the 1787 Northwest Ordinance.

On May 7, 1784 in Annapolis, Congress, led by President Thomas Mifflin, appointed Jefferson minister plenipotentiary to assist John Adams and Benjamin Franklin with negotiating treaties with European countries. Jefferson eventually replaced Benjamin Franklin as the American Ambassador to France.

The Mount Vernon Compact1785: Maryland had jurisdiction over the Potomac River, but both states used it. George Washington argued that it was imperative to western settlement that Maryland and Virginia resolve various disputes between them about the use of this river. Washington strongly recommended to James Madison that the

Potomac River, on which his home sits, be used as a trade route to connect the established states to the western territory. In March of 1785, Madison called for a meeting in Alexandria, Virginia. The delegates who attended were Samuel Chase, Thomas Stone and Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer from Maryland and George Mason and Alexander Henderson from Virginia. James Madison and Edmund Randolph had been appointed to be Virginia delegates to this meeting, but Governor Patrick Henry failed to inform them of this appointment.

When the two Virginia delegates failed to meet their Maryland counterparts in Alexandria, the meeting was moved to Washington’s home at Mount Vernon. The delegates met from March 25-28, 1785. Washington was not a delegate but his advice and reasoning as host were invaluable toward crafting the 1785 Mount Vernon Compact, which provided for both states to have navigational rights on the Potomac and Pocomoke Rivers and the Chesapeake Bay, covering tidewater navigation and extending to such issues as toll duties, commerce regulations, fishing rights, and debt collection.

After signing the 1785 Mount Vernon Compact, Maryland and Virginia agreed to another meeting, but the Maryland delegates, led by Samuel Chase, were adamant that if they were to meet again, it should be in Annapolis. At this second meeting, Virginia and Maryland were supposed to return to Annapolis in September of the following year, 1786, accompanied by all of the other states, to discuss not only any remaining disputes between the states but also interstate trade, commercial concerns and all outstanding financial issues not yet resolved by Congress. Only twelve delegates from five states came to Annapolis, but their report, written by Alexander Hamilton, called for another convention, attended by all of the states, that ultimately led to a new Constitution.

Delegates to the 1785 Mount Vernon Compact

Mount Vernon Host George Washington

Maryland Delegates Virginia Delegates

Samuel Chase Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer Thomas Stone George Mason Alexander Henderson

Shays’s Rebellion1786: Under the Articles of Confederation, Congress could neither levy taxes to pay the nation’s financial obligations nor draft (and then pay) an army to confront an uprising that began on August 29, 1786 led by Daniel Shays and his followers, many of them Revolutionary War veterans who were upset with the policies enacted by the Massachusetts state legislature to enforce debt collection. After shutting down some county courts in Massachusetts to halt debt collection hearings, Shays and his men attempted to seize the federal armory at Springfield. Almost five months after the 1786 Annapolis Convention ended, the main uprising of Shays’s Rebellion was defeated on February 4, 1787; however, scattered resistance continued throughout the Federal Convention in Philadelphia that ultimately wrote a new Constitution.

Daniel Shays The Armory in Springfield, Massachusetts

The 1786 Annapolis ConventionSeptember 11-14 at Mann’s Tavern, Annapolis

After the 1785 Mount Vernon Compact, Maryland and Virginia agreed to a second meeting, but the Maryland delegates were adamant that it take place in Annapolis. At this second meeting, Virginia and Maryland were supposed to be accompanied by all of the other states and then discuss not only disputes between them but also interstate trade, commercial concerns and all outstanding financial issues that had not been resolved by Congress, including an overall assessment of the effectiveness of the Articles of Confederation to handle these kinds of problems. Instead, only 12 delegates from 5 states came to Mann’s Tavern: Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia; Connecticut, South Carolina and George decided not to send delegates. North Carolina, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Massachusetts appointed delegates to come to Annapolis, but they never arrived. On the first day, September 11, they appointed John Dickinson chair and, according to the convention’s final report presented by Alexander Hamilton, each commissioner, after introductions, was tasked with compiling a list of the mounting problems facing the nation and was given the following day off (September 12) to do it. They reconvened on September 13 and presented their findings, after which Hamilton, with the assistance of James Madison and Edmund Randolph, was assigned the duty of writing the report that was read to rest of the commissioners on the final day, September 14. The report was then sent to the legislatures of the states represented in Annapolis, to Congress and to the governor of every state in the union. Hamilton’s report stressed the urgency of both the international and domestic crises at that time and urged Congress to require that all states send delegates the following year to Philadelphia to resolve them.

Delegates to the 1786 Annapolis Convention

Sept. 11-14, 1786 at Mann’s Tavern*, Annapolis, Maryland From Delaware: From New Jersey: George Read John Dickinson Richard Bassett Abraham Clark William Houston James Schureman

From New York: From Pennsylvania: From Virginia: Egbert Benson Alexander Hamilton Tenche Coxe Edmund Randolph James Madison St. George Tucker

* Sadly, Mann’s Tavern, which was turned into the Colonial Theater in 1902, burned down in 1919 and was never rebuilt. Today, the site is a gravel parking lot surrounded by a wooden fence behind Chick and Ruth’s Delly.

The Constitutional Convention1787: The report that Alexander Hamilton wrote to Congress, once the 1786 Annapolis Convention concluded at Mann’s Tavern, called for another meeting to be attended by all of the states starting on May 14, 1787 in Philadelphia (they didn’t achieve a quorum until May 25). All states except for Rhode Island sent delegates. George Washington served as president of what became known as the Constitutional Convention On September 17, 1787 the delegates signed the new Constitution. Among the signers were former Presidents of Congress Thomas Mifflin and Nathaniel Gorham.

Fun Fact: Benjamin Franklin is the only person to sign the Declaration of Independence, the Treaty of Paris and the Constitution.

1783The Treaty of Paris Period begins when the Treaty of Paris is signed in France on September 3, Congress comes to

Annapolis on November 26 and George Washington resigns from the Army on

December 23.

1784The Treaty of Paris is ratified in Annapolis by Proclamation on

January 14 and Thomas Jefferson is appointed as a minister to

France on May 7.

1785On March 28, Maryland and

Virginia sign the Mount Vernon Compact, an agreement to

share the use of the Potomac

River, hosted by the now retired George Washington.

1786On September 14, Alexander Hamilton is asked to write the final report of the Annapolis Convention calling for a new

meeting in Philadelphia in May of 1787 that would become the Constitutional Convention, presided over by George

Washington.

1787

After the main uprising of Shays’s Rebellion is defeated, the Treaty of

Paris Period ends when the Constitutional Convention reaches a quorum and officially begins on May

25, 1787.

How your students can learn more about the Treaty of Paris Period:

1. Get “The ‘Annapolis Era’ within the Treaty of Paris Period” DVD from the Treaty of Paris Center website: www.treatyofpariscenter.org

or from the City of Annapolis TV station:

To request a copy from City TV, call Rhonda B. Wardlaw, City of Annapolis Public Information Officer (410) 263-1183

2. Take them to the Maryland Inn’s Crown and Crab Room” in Annapolis to see the “America’s 14 Forgotten Presidents

Before George Washington” Exhibithttp://www.treatyofpariscenter.org/exhibit

This collection is owned by the Brown family

3. Take them to the free Treaty of Paris Center in Annapolis each first Saturday of the month from 11:00am – 3:30pm in the Crown and Crab Room at the Maryland Inn or schedule a private Treaty of Paris Center session for your school:

www.treatyofpariscenter.org

4. Invite me to talk to your class or school

Mark Croatti: 202-436-5909

croatti.tpc@gmail.com