Royal Proclamation of 1763
The Royal Proclamation of 1763 was issued October 7, 1763, by King George III. Great Britain had gained New France, which had been French territory in North America, after the end of the French and Indian War, part of the Seven Years' War. The Proclamation was to organize the enlarged territory of British North America and to make relations with the Native Americans better and more stable by controlling trade, settlement, and purchases of land on the western frontier. The British also wished to gain the trust from the Natives to be able to place forts there.
The war had brought large new western territories under British control, but the the American colonists were angered becasue the Proclamation stated that they could not settle or buy land west of a line along the Appalachian Mountains. Settlers continued to flow into the Ohio River Valley, and Great Britain was unable to provide adequate protection for them. Also, the Proclamation gave Great Britain a monopoly in land bought from the Native Americans. In 1774, the Quebec Act extended the rights of French-speaking Catholics and further angered the English-speaking Protestant settlers.
Opposition to the Proclamation
French
- Had very limited boundaries of Quebec.[1]
- Were not permitted to hold office if Catholic.[2]
- Did not think the proposed assembly would represent the views of the population.[2]
- Were concerned about the future of the Roman Catholic Church.[2]
- Could not be involved in the fur trade outside the proclaimed boundaries.[2]
British
- Opposed the restrictions placed on the fur trade.[2]
- Wanted to continue going west.[2] Many veterans of the war against France had been given land beyond the line, and the Proclamation took it away from the colonists.
- Opposed relgious freedom for non-Protestants.
- Were not satisfied by the proposal for an elected assembly and had no say in it[2]
Royal Proclamation Of 1763 Media
The Royal Proclamation of 1763, Library and Archives Canada
A portion of eastern North America; the 1763 "proclamation line" is the border between the red and the pink areas
The Eastern watershed boundary in the southern areas (orange line) and the St. Lawrence watershed boundary in the northern regions (magenta line) of this map more or less defined the Royal Proclamation's western boundaries
New borders drawn by the Royal Proclamation of 1763
The Boundary Line Map of 1768 moved the boundary west
USA Proclamation of 1763 Silver Medal: Franklin Mint Issue 1970
