When the American colonies declared independence from Great Britain in 1776, they asserted that each of the 13 colonies was not just breaking away from British rule, but each was becoming a free, sovereign, and independent state. This idea of state sovereignty means that each state has full control over its own government, free from external control. The Treaty of Paris, signed in 1783, which officially ended the Revolutionary War, provides clear evidence that the Founders understood and affirmed this concept of state sovereignty.