MD, USA
Washington Resigns His Commission
December 23, 1783
On December 23, 1783, George Washington resigned his commission as Commander-in-Chief before the Continental Congress in the Maryland State House. The ceremony was precisely choreographed — Washington bowed to Congress; Congress nodded rather than bowing back, asserting civilian supremacy. After handing his commission to Thomas Mifflin, he left for Mount Vernon, arriving home on Christmas Eve. Thomas Jefferson, watching from the gallery, called it the greatest act of Washington's life.
People Involved
Virginia delegate present in Annapolis for Washington's resignation and the Treaty ratification. He later called Washington's voluntary resignation the greatest act of the general's life and helped manage congressional proceedings for the treaty.
Virginia planter and Continental Army commander-in-chief who owned and managed Mount Vernon's enslaved workforce. Absent from his estate for most of the war, he directed Lund Washington's management by correspondence and returned to find the plantation's human community shaped by eight years of wartime disruption.
President of the Continental Congress who presided over Washington's resignation on December 23, 1783, and the Treaty of Paris ratification on January 14, 1784. His acceptance of Washington's commission completed the transfer from military to civilian authority.