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Difficulty: MediumThe Revolutionary War: Military and Diplomacy

Source: John Adams, letter to Abigail Adams regarding the peace negotiations in Paris, December 1782:

'We have at last signed the preliminary articles [of peace]... The navigation of the Mississippi is made free to both nations; and the boundary is as good as we could expect, and indeed much better than the French court wished us to obtain. Our negotiations were conducted with an independence that surprised both the British and French courts, who did not expect us to act so decidedly for our own national interest.'

Which of the following best explains the diplomatic strategy and outcome of the American commissioners as described in the excerpt?

  1. A
    They utilized the centralized executive authority established by the recently ratified United States Constitution to force British concessions.
  2. B
    They conditioned the peace treaty on the formal British repeal of the Stamp Act and the Townshend Acts.
  3. They bypassed their French allies to negotiate directly with Great Britain, securing highly favorable borders and western navigation rights.Answer
  4. D
    They prioritized a permanent military alliance with France to align with the foreign policy goals of the Democratic-Republican faction.

Answer

The American commissioners bypassed their French allies to negotiate directly with Great Britain, securing highly favorable borders and western navigation rights.
The correct option is correct because during the peace negotiations in Paris, the American commissioners (John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and John Jay) acted independently of their French allies. Realizing that France and Spain wanted to limit U.S. expansion to keep the new nation weak, the commissioners violated their instructions from Congress to consult the French and instead negotiated a separate treaty with Great Britain, securing highly favorable borders and navigation rights on the Mississippi River.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the excerpt to identify the perspective and actions of the American commissioners.
The excerpt shows that John Adams and the other commissioners conducted negotiations with independence, securing the Mississippi River boundary and navigation rights, despite what the French court desired.
This establishes the historical context of the Treaty of Paris (1783) negotiations.
2
Evaluate the options to find the one that matches this strategy of independent negotiation.
The option describing the commissioners bypassing their French allies and negotiating directly with Great Britain matches the excerpt's description of acting independently for national interest.
It directly aligns with the historical reality of the peace negotiations and the text of the source.
3
Verify the inaccuracies of the incorrect distractors.
The other options contain chronological errors (the Constitution and party factions did not exist in 1782-1783; the Stamp Act and Townshend Acts were pre-war colonial grievances that were no longer relevant).
This ensures that the distractors are incorrect based on clear historical facts.

Key Concept

The diplomacy and territorial outcomes of the Treaty of Paris (1783)
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Topics

The Revolutionary War: Military and Diplomacy

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