Every Day Is Special: Treaty of Paris

Showing posts with label Treaty of Paris. Show all posts

January 14 - Ratification Day in the U.S.A.

Posted on January 14, 2020

The end of something isn't all that easy to pin down. Even the end of a war!

You'd think we'd all notice and agree on when bombs stopped falling and bullets stopped flying, but sometimes, after major battles are done and a peace agreement has been made, there can still be minor skirmishes far away from the main action - those still fighting haven't yet heard the good news that they can stop!!

And to some extent we cannot consider a war completely and truly over until a treaty has been formally crafted and ratified (agreed to) by both or all sides.

That's why today is the anniversary of the true / official end of the American Revolutionary War - even though British General Cornwallis's surrender to George Washington on October 17, 1781, was the effective end of the war, and even though the formal surrender ceremony occurred on October 19, 1781. Peace negotiations began in 1782, and the Treaty of Paris was signed on September 3, 1783. On this date in 1784, the Confederation Congress ratified the Treaty.

Notice that there was more than TWO YEARS between the effective end of the war and the official end of the war!

Also on this date:

Birthday of brain-chemistry pioneer Derek Richter

(Mid-January to Mid-February) Magh Mela in India

Paleobotany pioneer Adolphe-Theodore Brongniart's birthday

Musician Dave Grohl's birthday

The “real” birthday of the U.S.A.

Dress Up Your Pet Day

Birthday of artist Berthe Morisot

Hot Foods Month

“Old” New Year in the Slavic countries

International Kite Day

Anniversary of the Human Be-In

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September 3 – Anniversary of the Signing of theTreaty of Paris

Posted on September 3, 2014

I wrote a ridiculous title for today's post. When you read that title, you should wonder, “WHICH Treaty of Paris?”

According to Wikipedia, there are a few “Treaty of Paris” signings. One might even say QUITE a few. Like, many:

1229
1259
1303
1320
1323

This painting of the Treaty of Paris,
by Benjamin West, was never completed
because the British diplomats refused to pose.

Can we say "bad loser"?
1355
1515
1623
1626
1657
1718
1761
1763
1783
1784
1796
1802
1806
1810
1814
1815
1856
1857
1898
1900
1918
1919
1920
1947
1951
1952
1973
1995

The one that happened on this date in 1783 was between Great Britain and the United States of America; it formally ended the American Revolutionary War.

Why were so many treaties signed in Paris?

We often think of the Eiffel Tower when
we think of Paris, but it wasn't built
until 1889.

There are several reasons. One of course is that France is somewhat centrally located to much of Europe, and Paris has for centuries had high-level offerings in lodging and food and culture.

Partly it's because France dominated Europe through its military, for a while, and since this country and language were associated with power, many Europeans and Americans learned to speak French and sought to learn about all things French. From fashion to art, cooking to dance, French language dominated many fields, and Paris was considered to some extent to be one of the world's gems.

Partly it's merely “tradition.” Once Paris was known as the place to be for diplomacy, there was a snowball effect that caused even more diplomats to travel to Paris for peace talks.

Because Paris became a place where negotiations and peace talks occurred, French became the lingua franca of diplomats. (Lingua franca means a language that is used as a common language between people who speak different languages. Note that the phrase lingua franca itself is, in fact, French!)

Here are a few of the French words used even in English-speaking countries for diplomatic matters:

detente – improvement in relations
fait accompli – something that has already been done
attache – a junior officer or a specialist officer
communique – a brief public statement summarizing diplomatic meetings

And here are some English words that came from French words:

accord – an international agreement
consulate – an office in one nation set up for diplomats and visitors from another nation

diplomat – an agent who represents a nation and has the power to negotiated trade and peace treaties
embassy – the home of an ambassador
passport – papers of identification used to travel between different nations
protocol – the ceremonial side of diplomacy, and the customs thereof
treaty – a formal agreement between nations
visa – an endorsement for a person to travel to another nation, often for work or study purposes

Because French had become the language of diplomacy, even more people came to Paris when it was time to create a treaty. Because even more people came to Paris for negotiations, French became even more important to diplomats. It's one of those feedback loops!

Is French still the lingua franca of diplomacy?

Many argue that English has taken over in being the “language of diplomacy,” and it certainly has become the most-spoken second language in the world. In other words, if Indian, Italian, Chinese, and Peruvian software engineers meet together, they probably chat with one another in English. English has become the language of science (it used to be German and, before that, French), and English has become the language of technology and business as well. Because so many people worldwide speak English for these reasons, diplomats tend to be even more familiar with English than with French, so many more meetings are being held in English.

Also on this date: