Letter
Benjamin Franklin to David Hartley, June 2, 1784
Benjamin Franklin addresses David Hartley's concerns about the phrasing and formality in the U.S. ratification of the Treaty of Paris, arguing that while the treaty itself follows the custom of naming the crowned head before the republic, the separate ratification acts are independently controlled by each party. Franklin asserts that the United States properly adheres to established diplomatic customs in the treaty text, and the ratification confirms all treaty articles.