The American delegation to the Treaty of Paris, signed in 1783, were from left to right are: John JayJohn AdamsBenjamin FranklinHenry Laurens, and William Temple Franklin.

Above is American Commissioners of the Preliminary Peace Agreement with Great Britain by Benjamin West.

It’s not finished though. Why? Well, it is reported that the British delegation refused to pose, and the painting was never completed.

This might seem almost trivial, but think about it for a moment.

If you had just been defeated by some far-flung upstarts, would you want the event memorialized. The answer almost calls for itself, right?

Well, that seems to be exactly what happened above.

At the Treaty of Paris, the British officially ceded victory to America from the east coast to the east bank of the Mississippi River.

So, it’s clear that the land from the Appalachian Divide to the Mississippi river were considered to be that of America after this Treaty.

But, this still leaves some confusion as to who owned the land between the Appalachian Divide and the east bank of the Mississippi River from the time of The Royal Proclamation of 1763 and the signing of the Treaty of Paris in 1783.

Who owned what during those two decades and how was it that it all became clear in the end?

We should answer this question before following through with the original question posed three days ago as to what were the western boundaries of the colonies (and then states) which did not adjoin another on its western front.

The search for answers continues. Cheers!

Photo Credit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Paris_(1783)#/media/File:Treaty_of_Paris_by_Benjamin_West_1783.jpg