The war ends

However, the conclusion of the war did not come as quickly as Martin had hoped. When Lord North, the British prime minister, heard about Cornwallis's defeat at Yorktown, he paced up and down the room repeating, “Oh God! It is all over!” The loss at Yorktown drained any remaining support for the war, so when the British people heard about the defeat, most of them accepted it. Still, months dragged by before King George was finally forced to accept that the British had been defeated.

For most Americans, the end of the war was a time for joy and celebration.  They had gained the freedom to govern themselves and create their own future.  But liberty came at a high price.  At least 6,200 Americans had been killed in combat, with an additional 10,000 who died in camp because of diseases, and another 8,500 who died while in captivity as British prisoners.  As a proportion of the total population, more Americans died fighting in the American Revolution than in any other conflict except the Civil War, in which Americans fought one another.

Early in 1783, representatives of the United States and Great Britain signed a peace treaty in Paris, which had three important parts. First, Great Britain agreed to recognize the United States as an independent nation. Second, Great Britain gave up its claims to all lands between the Atlantic Coast and the Mississippi River, from the border of Canada south to Florida. Third, the United States agreed to return all rights and property taken from Loyalists during the war.

During the war, Loyalists had been treated badly by Patriots, so many did not trust the treaty's promise of fair treatment.  As a result, more than 80,000 Loyalists, both black and white, left the United States to settle in British Canada.

The American Revolution had a major impact in other parts of the world. In Europe, liberals became thrilled at the prospect of creating their own democracies. The American example was especially influential in France, which soon had its own revolution. As one Frenchman wrote, “They [Americans] are the hope of the human race; they may well become its model.” In the 1800s, that model would also help inspire revolts against European rule in South America.