<p>When we think about the founding documents of the United States, <strong>two</strong> likely come to mind: the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. But perhaps not the third — the Treaty of Paris (1783), the agreement that ended the Revolutionary War and formally recognized American independence. </p><p>Our guest this week, Professor Eliga H. Gould, argues that this largely forgotten founding document is essential for understanding how the United States actually came into being. Far from a clean moment of national birth, the treaty emerged from the aftermath of a brutal civil war, triggering mass displacement, contested borders, and fragile diplomatic compromises within and beyond British North America.  </p><p>Eliga H. Gould is the (2025-26) Harold Vyvyan Harmsworth Professor of American History at University of Oxford and (for 30+ years) the Professor of History at the University of New Hampshire.   </p><p>Gould’s new book project, <em><strong>Peace and Independence: The Turbulent History of the United States’ Founding Treaty</strong></em><strong>, </strong>examines the social, economic, and constitutional consequences of the 1783 Paris Treaty.  </p><p>The three themes guiding this research project are the making, unmaking, and remaking of the American Union; the uncertain fate of the “new order” many believed the Revolution had inaugurated; and the enduring theme of partition.  </p><p>Along the way, we also reflect on what treaties actually do. Gould argues that treaties rarely produce clean independence; instead, they bind nations into global systems of diplomacy, commerce, and compromise — a lesson with enduring implications for American foreign policy. </p><p>“Exiting the world has never been a viable option.” </p><p><br /></p><p>Co-hosts (PhD Candidates) </p><p><strong>Shea Hendry</strong>'s research examines the children of Loyalist refugees who embodied both American citizenship and British subjecthood — concurrently and consecutively — throughout the Early National period. </p><p><strong>Megan Renoir</strong> looks at the history of U.S. land institutions, nineteenth- and twentieth-century federal Indian policy, and violence against the NCRNT. She aims to expanding our understanding of the relationships between federalism, Western property institutions, and intractable land conflicts. </p><p> <br /></p><p>Editing, production, and cover art </p><p>by <strong>Daisy Semmler</strong>, Cantab American History MPhil Graduate.  </p>