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[[File: Treaty_of_Paris_by_Benjamin_West_1783.jpg | thumbnail|lefft|300px|Unfinished Treaty of Paris sketch with oil of American Delegates painted done by Benjamin West. The British delegates refused to sit for the painting.]]
In 1782, Benjamin Franklin rejected informal peace overtures from Great Britain for a settlement that would provide the thirteen states with some measure of autonomy within the British Empire. Franklin insisted on British recognition of American independence and refused to consider a peace separate from France, America’s staunch ally. Franklin did agree, however, to negotiations with the British for an end to the war. Joined by peace commissioners John Adams and John Jay, Franklin engaged the British in formal negotiations beginning on September 27, 1782.
