[1] It was drafted by the Continental Congress to secure economic resources for the war effort, and to serve as an idealistic guide for future relations and treaties between the new American government and other nations.
[2] The Model Treaty thus marked the revolution's turning point towards seeking independence,[1] and is subsequently considered a milestone in U.S. foreign relations.
Shortly thereafter, King George III formally recognized the conflict as an act of "rebellion and sedition", to which the Continental Congress responded that it was only resisting parliament's unjust laws and hoped to avoid the "calamities" of a "civil war".
[4] Once it became clear that both sides had reached an impasse, the movement towards independence gained traction, and consequently many revolutionary leaders sought to develop foreign relations befitting a sovereign nation.
"[6] As an early progenitor of the Model Treaty, Adams would ultimately be the primary drafter,[7] and the resulting document largely reflected his plans.