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Creating America
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Ben Franklin Becomes America’s Top Diplomat
Congress declared America’s independence from England on July 4, 1776, but the most crucial step still lay ahead and that was to secure what we had declared. Delegates knew that to have a real chance at success, the United States needed the assistance of one or more European powers.
John Adams Negotiates Peace with England
John Adams was solely responsible for opening a strong relationship with the Netherlands between 1780-1782. Within days of completing his work in Amsterdam, Adams received a summons from John Jay, another American diplomat in Paris, to immediately return to the French capital. Peace talks with the English were heating up and Jay wanted Adams’ assistance.
Creating America: The Treaty of Paris Delivers Favorable Terms
After Lord Cornwallis surrendered to General Washington in Yorktown on October 19, 1781, word of the surrender was sent to England. When finally received by Lord North, the Prime Minister, he repeatedly exclaimed “Oh God! It is all over!”, and it was for all intents and purposes.
Creating America: Origins of the First Global War
The Treaty of Paris was the agreement between England and the United States which officially ended the American Revolution. It was just one of a series of agreements signed between the belligerents which collectively are called the Peace of Paris.
The Newburgh Conspiracy: George Washington Resists a Chance to Be King
The Newburgh Conspiracy represents a time when our nation came closest to deviating from our core revolutionary principles of representative government with civilian control of the military. Because of a weak Confederation Congress and unhappiness within the officer ranks of the Continental Army, the stage was set for our new nation to drift into a military dictatorship or monarchy.