By 阿曼达·米. 诺顿，亚当斯论文

8月15日, 1824, 拉斐特侯爵将军, 美国独立战争的伟大英雄之一, 四十年来第一次回到美国, 开始了为期13个月的全国巡演. 拉斐特到达马萨诸塞州后，约翰·亚当斯 接待了他 8月22日通过他的孙子, “T在这里 is not a man in America who more sincerely rejoices in your happiness 和 in 的 burst of joy which your presence has diffused through this whole continent than myself.”“我愿意亲自去拜访您,亚当斯哀叹道。, “but 的 total decrepitude 和 imbecility of eighty nine years has rendered it impossible for me to ride even so far as Governor [William] Eustis’s to enjoy that happiness.相反，他要求拉斐特在昆西与他共度一天. 然后是老佛爷 注意到他的遗憾 that he had not been able to go straight to Quincy “on [his] Arrival at this Beloved place . . . 拥抱你.”

John’s gr和son 查尔斯·弗朗西斯·亚当斯 was present for 的 meeting of 的 old revolutionaries in Quincy on August 29 和 recorded his impressions 在日记里:

侯爵很高兴地见到了我的祖父，我也感到有些惊讶, 因为真的, 我想他没有料到他会这么虚弱. 我突然想到他在某种程度上受到了那种影响. 除此之外，这次会议很愉快. Gr和fa的r exerted himself more than usual 和, as to conversation, appeared exactly as he ever has. 我认为他现在比以往任何时候都更引人注目, 当然更令人愉快, 因为他的坏脾气渐渐消失了. . . . How many people in this country would have been delighted with my situation at this moment, 看到三位名流同桌用餐, 大家都想起了过去的革命, 他们是引人注目的演员，他们的努力, 这个国家很感激! It is a subject which can excite much thought as it embraces 的 high feelings of human nature. . . . My gr和fa的r appeared considerably affected 和 soon rose after dinner was over.

在他们重聚几周后 拉斐特感谢亚当斯 for 的 visit: “I Have Been Very Happy to 看到 You, 和 altho’ I Regretted The shortness of My 访问 . . . 我衷心地享受, 我无法用语言来表达, 欣然拥抱我尊敬的老朋友和革命伙伴.” A French brass 和 marble mantle clock that Lafayette gifted to his old friend in honor of this visit now sits in 的 office of 的 Editor in Chief of 的 亚当斯的论文 Editorial Project at 的 马萨诸塞州历史学会.

By 阿曼达一. 马修斯，亚当斯论文

“这个月的第三天，星期三, 的 American Ministers met 的 British Minister at his Lodgings at 的 Hôtel de York, 并签署, sealed 和 delivered 的 Definitive Treaty of Peace between 的 United States of America 和 的 King of Great Britain.——约翰·亚当斯 报道这则新闻 9月5日向国会总统汇报, 1783年，他祝贺国会“完成了和平工作”.”

It was eight o’clock in 的 morning when 约翰·亚当斯 along with Benjamin Franklin 和 John Jay, 会见了英国的和平谈判代表, 大卫·哈特利, 他在巴黎的住所和几个月的谈判, 首先是前一年 初步和平条约，然后从4月到8月底达到高潮 这个最终的条约.

这无疑是一个重要的时刻——毕竟, eight long years of war were officially ending with complete American independence—的 signing was more of an anticlimax for Adams. 正如他所透露的，他的直接感情 到阿比盖尔 第二天, were that as 的 definitive treaty was no more than “a Simple Repetition of 的 provisional Treaty,他们“在这里谈过”, 这六个月毫无意义.“然而, Adams understood that given 的 political realities of 的ir position relative to Great Britain, “我们现在的处境再好不过了.”

The key provisions of 的 Treaty of Paris guaranteed both nations access to 的 Mississippi River, 划定了美国的边界, 要求英国放弃在美国境内的所有哨所.S. 领土, 要求偿还战前签订的所有债务, 并终止对效忠者及其财产的一切报复措施. 在约翰·亚当斯18世纪80年代担任驻英国公使期间, 他和英国外交大臣, 卡马森侯爵, regularly discussed 的 actions each side saw as breaches of 和 a failure to fulfill 的 treaty—a debate that went unresolved until 的 signing of 的 Jay Treaty in 1794.

When editors at 的 亚当斯的论文 Editorial Project are asked to name our favorite document in 的 immense collection that is 的 亚当斯家族文件, 约翰·亚当斯的巴黎条约副本, 肯定是首选吗. This duplicate original in 的 亚当斯的论文 is 的 only original not in a government archive. One can easily imagine that 的 legal- 和 legacy-minded 约翰·亚当斯 was keen to retain a copy of this founding document over which he had so long toiled so far from his home for his posterity. Of particular interest are 的 seals—as t在这里 was no official seal for 的 American commissioners to use, 每个人都用自己方便的方法. 看到 在这里 来全面讨论博伊尔斯顿家族的纹章, which Adams used as his seal on both 的 preliminary 和 definitive treaty 和 for more on Adams’s thoughts at 的 conclusion see 的 newly launched digital edition of 约翰·亚当斯的论文, 卷15.

Image: First 和 last pages of 的 Definitive Peace Treaty between 的 United States 和 Great Britain (Treaty of Paris), 9月3日, 1783, 亚当斯家族文件.