The peacemaking negotiations at the end of the American War of Independence were an integral part of the independence process. If conducted properly the Americans would be free of European interference, however, the governments of Britain, France and Spain all sought to influence the future of the American states.

During the military conflict, the states had allied for purely practical purposes and could not be described as a totally united body with identical aims and interests. The states also required the assistance of France in their battle for independence and in order to achieve this, had to present themselves as a unified, co-ordinated and above all, legitimate political body. To do this they formed an alliance of mutual assistance under the Articles of Confederation, in 1776. A treaty of alliance was signed with France in 1778 and was an important step, because it gave the confederation recognition from a major European state, and, therefore, put the Americans in a better situation to negotiate with the British at the end of the war. This was a step towards receiving recognition from Britain, which was important, as, while the Americans were still considered a group of colo

Despite their efforts, none of the other three European powers involved in the negotiations gained particularly much from the peace process. The subsequent internal strife that engulfed France and led to the French Revolution, in 1789, naturally proved to be of benefit to the British, who were rid of their major colonial opponent until the zenith of the Revolutionary Wars. French involvement in the American War of Independence proved to be one of the contributing factors to the outbreak of the Revolution because of the financial toll it exerted upon the already struggling ancien regime, and failure to make any substantial gains out of the peace facilitated this. She did not manage to secure any profitable trade links out of the conflict, and, as Anglo-American trade began to re-kindle, Britain looked less likely than ever to co-operate with France in diplomacy, or any other sphere. It could be said, however, that the Treaty of Paris indirectly benefited the bourgeois classes that profited the most from the French Revolution.

Because the second Empire would become even greater than the first, Britain’s position in the long term gained. However, not everyone was optimistic that this would be the case. Shelburne is quoted to have said,

Therefore, the behaviour of the French and the Spanish during the treaty negotiations helped establish reasonable Anglo-American post-war relations. Spain had been allied to France during this conflict, but not with the Americans. She wanted French help in gaining Gibraltar and to prevent American access to the Mississippi, as well as claims to unsettled land in North America. Particular areas of confrontation were the Floridas and California. The French had hoped that they could limit the American colonies to the eastward seaboard of the continent, as the states becoming a large and powerful nation would be of no benefit to France, who hoped at some point to regain some influence in that area of the world.

The process of peacemaking, therefore, consolidated the military victory and its importance should not be underestimated. The Treaty of Paris of February 1778, allying France with the American states, contained a clause stating that there should be no peace with Britain unless she accepts American independence. This clause proved to be important because, in 1781, Britain found themselves in a position where they needed to consolidate their position in the World War with France, Spain and the Netherlands. To make peace with France, the British had to begin negotiations with the Americans. Therefore, by attaching their fate to the French, the Americans had set the terms to begin negotiations over three years before the end of hostilities. Although the general disposition in the House of Commons, in 1781, desired an end to hostilities in America, there was a reluctance to concede independence to the colonies. The Americans continued to demand that the recognition of their independence be a precondition to peace, and concession to these demands, although it may have slowed the proceedings, was an important victory, before the negotiations had even begun.

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