The Treaty of Paris, signed 10 February 1763, by Great Britain,
France, and Spain, ended the French and Indian War.
LEARNING OBJECTIVE [ edit ]
Summarize the land swaps in the New World that marked the conclusion of the Seven Years' War
KEY POINTS [ edit ]
Britain gained territory in Canada and Florida, while the French announced their cessation of
Louisiana to Spain.
The Treaty of Paris is also known as the Peace of Paris.
In the secret 1762 Treaty of Fontainebleau France gave Louisiana to Spain.
TERMS [ edit ]
Treaty of Paris
Signed in 1783, the Treaty of Paris ended the American Revolutionary War, recognized the
United States' independence, established the borders of the United States and British North
America, and guaranteed the fair treatment of British loyalists in the United States. The treaty
greatly enlarged the territory of the United States, mainly at the expense of Native American
tribes.
Treaty of Fontainebleau
The Treaty of Fontainebleau was a secret agreement made in 1762, in which France ceded
Louisiana (New France) to Spain. The treaty followed the last battle in the French and Indian War
in North America, the Battle of Signal Hill, in September 1762, which confirmed British control of
Canada (New France).
Give us feedback on this content: FULL TEXT [ edit ]
The Aftermath of Colonial Wars
The Treaty of Paris, also called the Peace of Paris, was signed on February 10, 1763, by the
kingdoms of Great Britain, France, and Spain, with Portugal in agreement. It ended the
French and Indian War, also known as the Seven Years' War. The Treaty marked British
victory over France and Spain and the beginning of an era of British dominance outside
Europe. The treaty did not involve either Prussia or Austria, who signed a separate
agreement known as the Treaty of Hubertusburg.
The Treaty of Paris, 1783.
The Treaty of Paris, 1783.
Division of Colonial Territory
During the war, Britain had conquered the French colonies of Canada, Guadeloupe,
Martinique, Saint Lucia, Dominica,Grenada, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Tobago;
the French "factories" (trading posts) in India; the slave­trading station at Gorée; the Senegal
River and its settlements; and the Spanish colonies of Manila (in the Philippines) and
Havana (in Cuba). France had captured Minorca and British trading posts in Sumatra, while
Spain had captured the border fortress of Almeida in Portugal, and Colonia del Sacramento
in South America. In the treaty, most of these territories were restored to their original
owners. France and Spain restored all their conquests to Britain and Portugal. Britain
restored Manila and Havana to Spain, and Guadeloupe, Martinique, Saint Lucia, Gorée, and
the Indian factories to France. In return, France ceded Canada, Dominica, Grenada, Saint
Vincent and the Grenadines, and Tobago to Britain. France also ceded the eastern half of
French Louisiana to Britain; that is, the area from the Mississippi River to the Appalachian
Mountains. Spain ceded Florida to Britain. France ceded almost all of its territory in
mainland North America, but retained fishing rights off Newfoundland as well as Saint
Pierre and Miquelon, two small islands where it could dry the fish. In turn, France gained the
return of its sugar colony, Guadeloupe, which it considered more valuable than Canada.
The Treaty of Paris is frequently noted as the point at which France gave Louisiana to Spain.
The transfer had actually occurred in the Treaty of Fontainebleau in 1762; however, it was
not publicly announced until 1764. The Treaty of Paris was to give Britain the east side of the
Mississippi (including Baton Rouge, Louisiana, which was to be part of the British territory
of West Florida). New Orleans, on the east side, remained temporarily in French hands. The
Mississippi River corridor, in what is modern­day Louisiana, was to be reunited following
the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, and the Adams­Onís Treaty in 1819.
When Lord Bute became Britain's Prime Minister, in 1762, he pushed for a resolution to the
war with France and Spain, fearing that Great Britain could not govern all of its newly
acquired territories. Despite a desire for peace, many in the British parliament opposed the
surrender of hard­fought conquests. Notable among the opposition was former Prime
Minister William Pitt, who warned that the terms of the treaty would only lead to further
conflicts once France and Spain had time to rebuild. The Treaty of Paris took no
consideration of Great Britain's battered continental ally,Frederick II of Prussia. Frederick
would have to negotiate peace terms separately, in the Treaty of Hubertusburg. For decades
following the Seven Years War, Frederick II would consider the Treaty of Paris as a British
betrayal. The American colonists were disappointed by the protection of Roman Catholicism
in the Treaty of Paris because of their own strong Protestant faith.
Locator map of the competing sides of the Seven Years War before outset of the war (mid­1750s).
Locator map of the competing sides of the Seven Years War before outset of the war (mid­1750s).
Blue: Great Britain, Portugal with more. Green: France, Spain with more. Great Britain, Prussia,
Portugal, with allies France, Spain, Austria, Russia, Sweden with allies