The Secret Peace Deal That Shook the RevolutionโAnd Why It Matters Now
Published 7 days ago โข 5 min read
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Hello, Reader..
Sometimes, the most important battles happen behind closed doors.
The United States has initiated backchannel diplomatic talks with Russia concerning the war in Ukraine, but tensions are rising. European nations are expressing concerns over being excluded from these talks and emphasize that any peace talks need to include both Ukraine and Europe to ensure a comprehensive and lasting peace.[1]
That warning has echoes.
In 1782, during the United States' fight for Independence, American diplomats struck a secret peace deal with Great Britain without telling France, their closest wartime ally. The United States' separate peace shocked Europe and strained alliances.
What happens when an ally chooses its own path to peace?
Let's investigate the United States' first diplomatic gamble and why it still matters today.
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Historical Perspective: Separate Peace, Shared Tensions
๐ผ๏ธ The Big Picture: In 1782, as the American Revolution drew to a close, the United States began secret peace negotiations with Great Britain without the full participation of its most powerful ally, France. France had helped the United States secure its independence on the battlefield, and it did not want the Americans to negotiate a separate peace.
โ๏ธ Why It Mattered: France joined the United States' War for Independence in large part to get back at Great Britain for its devastating wartime loss in 1763. France hoped to coordinate a multilateral peace with Spain and other allies to maximize strategic gains, especially gains in territory. But American diplomats, including John Jay and John Adams, feared France's goals did not fully align with the goals of the United States. So, Jay, Adams, and Benjamin Franklin negotiated peace directly with Great Britain behind closed doors--an act that defied the United States' 1778 Treaty of Alliance with France. The result: The United States secured a generous peace settlement but fractured its trust with France and reshaped the postwar world.
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๐ Go Deeper: Sovereignty, Strategy, and the Strains of Alliance
A Revolutionary Alliance Tested
In 1778, France committed to supporting the United States' war effort and to making peace with Great Britain only through a mutual agreement with the United States. [2] โ By 1782, the American War for Independence widened into a world war. This left France juggling priorities--including Spain's interest in Gibraltar, and its own desire to limit British power and influence.
American diplomats worried that these European interests might delay or dilute the United States' goals for peace, particularly its territorial sovereignty and its ability to expand west across North America.
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๐บ๐ธ 1782: Secret Talks Begin ๐ฌ๐ง
United States diplomats made a bold and risky move. Behind closed doors in Paris, John Jay and John Adams opened secret negotiations with Great Britain, leaving France unaware.
Why? Jay and Adams did not trust France to prioritize American interests. With Spain and France eyeing the restoration of territories seized by the British during the Seven Years' War (Gibraltar, Caribbean islands, and maybe some territories on the North American continent), Jay feared a multilateral peace would leave the United States shortchanged.
So, while Benjamin Franklin continued to serve as diplomat-in-chief in the French Court, Jay and Adams treated with the British.
The result? A draft of what would become the Treaty of Paris 1783, secured everything the United States wanted: full independence, western lands, and favorable trade terms. But it cost the United States trust. France stood stunned and sidelined when it learned about these negotiations after the fact. France eventually accepted the peace, but its relations with the United States cooled. [3]
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Benjamin West, American Commissioners of the Preliminary Peace Agreement with Great Britain, 1783-1784, London, England. (oil on canvas, unfinished sketch), Winterthur Museum, Winterthur, Delaware, gift of Henry Francis du Pont. From left to right: John Jay, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Henry Laurens, and William Temple Franklin. The British commissioners refused to pose, and the picture was never finished. Sourceโ
๐บ๐ฆ 2025: Ukraine's Balancing Act
Today, Ukraine is navigating a similarly delicate alliance.
As U.S.-brokered peace discussions with Russia emerge, some European nations-- especially those with borders close to the conflict-- fear being sidelined or disagree with the reported terms being discussed, such as Putin's demand that Ukraine forgo NATO membership.
Like eighteenth-century France, European countries worry about outcomes that are negotiated without full coordination. Western allies are urging Kyiv to stay unified with them, but Ukraine may prioritize its own security goals-- even if that means pursuing a partial or phased peace independently.
Just as the United States did in 1782, Ukraine must weigh loyalty to its allies against what it sees as its long-term national interest.
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๐จ The Aftermath of Acting Alone
๐ซ๐ท For France in 1782: The United Statesโ separate peace undermined French diplomatic strategy. It helped end the war but at the cost of influence in the postwar order.
โ ๐บ๐ฆ For Ukraine Today: The risk of going solo may secure a ceasefire but could strain vital alliances and reshape the regionโs geopolitical future.
โ History suggests that breaking unity can bring both rewards and repercussions.
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๐ง Tune In For More
To dive even deeper into the diplomatic history of the American Revolution, check out these episodes of Ben Franklinโs World:
๐ Episode 037: When and why did Spain enter the War for American Independence? Explore how the war and Spain's involvement impacted the lives of Americans who lived on the edge of the American Revolution.
๐ Episode 055: Take a look at the life and legacy of John Jay, who served as one of the negotiators of the Treaty of Paris, 1783.
๐ Episode 081: Investigate the War for American Independence after the Battle of Yorktown. Join Don Glickstein for a look at the global dimensions of the conflict.
๐ Episode 333: Journey through the community of Yorktown, Virginia, during and after the last siege between the British and American armies.
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๐ง Share Your Thoughts!
What do you think?
What do you think matters more: honoring wartime alliancesโ or securing your own peace?
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๐ฉ Hit Reply to share your thoughts or post a question.
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[3] Don Glickstein, After Yorktown: The Final Struggle for American Independence, (Chicago, IL: Westholme Publishing, 2015); Richard B. Morris, The Peacemakers: The Great Powers & American Independence, (New York: Harper Row Publishers, 1965); Stacy Schiff, A Great Improvisation: Franklin, France, and the Birth of America, (New York: Henry Holt and Co., 2005).
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๐ Further Reading
Jonathan R. Dull, A Diplomatic History of the American Revolution, (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1985).
Don Glickstein, After Yorktown: The Final Struggle for American Independence, (Chicago, IL: Westholme Publishing, 2015).
Ronald Hoffman & Peter J. Albert eds, Diplomacy and Revolution: The Franco-American Alliance of 1778, (Charlottesville, VA: Published for the United States Capitol Historical Society by the University of Virginia Press, 1981).
Stacy Schiff, A Great Improvisation: Franklin, France, and the Birth of America, (New York: Henry Holt & Co., 2005).
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