Final answer:
The Treaty of Paris ratified by Congress on April 15, 1783, recognized the American colonies as a free nation.
Step-by-step explanation:
The document in question is The Treaty of Paris, a pivotal agreement ratified by Congress on April 15, 1783. Negotiated in Paris by a delegation consisting of Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, John Jay, and Henry Laurens, the treaty marked the official end of the American Revolutionary War.
Recognizing the American colonies as a free and sovereign nation, The Treaty of Paris established definitive boundaries for the United States, extending from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mississippi River and from the Great Lakes to Spanish Florida. This diplomatic accord, signed between the United States and Great Britain, affirmed the independence of the newly-formed nation and laid the foundation for the shaping of the United States as a distinct entity on the world stage.