The Proclamation Line of 1763 was designed to

History of the 13 Colonies and the laws & taxes that sparked rebellion against the British

The definition and purpose of the Proclamation of 1763 and the cry of "No taxation without representation!"

Proclamation of 1763 Summary and Definition
British Proclamation of 1763 Summary and Definition: The Royal Proclamation of 1763 was issued October 7, 1763, by King George III following Great Britain's acquisition of French territory in North America following the end of the French and Indian Wars with the Peace of Paris which concluded the Seven Years' War in Europe and the French Indian War in America. The Royal Proclamation of 1763 was designed to calm the fears of Native Indians by halting the westward expansion by colonists whilst expanding the lucrative fur trade. Refer to Royal Proclamation of 1763 for the actual words and text.

French Indian Wars

Royal Proclamation of 1763 - The Fur Trade
The British had a financial reason for the Royal Proclamation of 1763. Their victory in the French and Indian Wars enabled them to monopolize the highly lucrative fur trade, also refer to Triangular Trade. They wanted to improve and expand trade further which involved the Native American Indians who lived on the frontier. The fight to monopolize the fur trade in French territory had led to the  the bloody conflict known as the Beaver Wars in 1640 - 1701 against the Iroquois Confederacy.

Royal Proclamation of 1763 - The Proclamation Line
The Royal Proclamation of 1763 at the end of the French and Indian War established the controversial Proclamation Line along the Appalachian Mountains safeguarding Indian lands and territories and repaying the Native American Indians who helped the British during the war. Many of the American Indians, primarily in the Great Lakes region, had close relationships with France and were appalled to find that they were now under British control. Pontiac's Rebellion during the Pontiac War (1763–66) was an unsuccessful effort by Native American Indians to prevent Great Britain from occupying the land previously claimed by France and this hastened the implementation of the Royal Proclamation of 1763. The Royal Proclamation of 1763 was an attempt by the British crown to separate white settlements from Indian country. The colonists perceived that the Royal Proclamation of 1763 clearly demonstrated that the British King was on the side of the Indians to the detriment of the colonists.

Royal Proclamation of 1763 - Manning the Proclamation Line
The introduction of the massive boundary, which was the Proclamation Line, would require the establishment and the manning of posts along the border. A costly venture which the British administration argued was for the defence of the colonists. It was therefore deemed that the costs should be paid for by the colonies. From the perspective of the colonists this amounted to a tax to pay for a boundary to lands that was against the interests of the British Colonies.

Proclamation of 1763 - Proclamation Line Map Map: The Royal Proclamation of 1763 resulted in a massive border, or Boundary Line, referred to as the Proclamation Line, which is shown on the Proclamation Line Map. The Proclamation Line between the British colonies on the Atlantic coast of America and American Indian lands called the Indian Reserve  ran west of the Appalachian Mountains and south of Hudson Bay to Florida. The Proclamation Line was not intended to be a permanent boundary between the lands of settlers and Indians, but rather a temporary boundary which could be extended further west in an orderly, lawful fashion. Reaction of the Colonists to the Proclamation of 1763 The British colonists vehemently resented the Royal Proclamation of 1763 and the introduction of the concept of the Proclamation Line. Prominent American colonists joined with land speculators in Britain to lobby the government to move the line further west. As a result, the boundary line was adjusted in a series of treaties with Native American Indians. The 1768 Treaty of Fort Stanwix, the 1768 Treaty of Hard Labor and the 1770 Treaty of Lochaber  opened much of what is now West Virginia and Kentucky to British settlement.

Map of Proclamation Line 1763

Fast Facts about the British Proclamation of 1763
 Interesting history and fast facts about the Proclamation of 1763:

Map British North America 1763 - 1775

• Significance, causes, summary, dates and history of the Proclamation of 1763 for kids

• History timeline of the Proclamation of 1763

• Interesting Facts and information on the Proclamation of 1763 for kids and schools

• Cause and Effects of the Proclamation of 1763

• Significance, causes events, summary, dates and history of the Proclamation of 1763 for kids

Proclamation of 1763 - Pictures and Videos of Native Americans
Proclamation of 1763. Discover the the key years, famous people and events of the Proclamation of 1763 together with the causes and effects of the war, conflict and battle. Pictures have been include wherever possible which show the battlefield, clothing and weapons of the Colonial America and their leaders who fought in the Proclamation of 1763. The illustrated text provides a really useful educational resource for kids and children of all ages. We have included pictures and videos to accompany the main topic of this section - The Proclamation of 1763. The videos enable fast access to the images, paintings and pictures together with the information and the many facts featured on this subject of the Proclamation of 1763.

After Britain won the Seven Years' War and gained land in North America, it issued the Royal Proclamation of 1763, which prohibited American colonists from settling west of Appalachia.

After the French and Indian War, the Treaty of Paris was drawn up, officially ending the war, granting the British a great deal of North American land. The territory that was gained, the Ohio Valley, was between the Appalachian Mountains in the east and the Mississippi River in the west. It gave the British access to important trade routes, but the new land also brought up many new problems.

Don't Go West, Young Man

Even though they fought hard to gain new land during the French and Indian War, the British tried to prevent American colonists from settling in it. It was already hard for them to govern the colonies from overseas. The British believed that if Americans moved west over the mountains, it would be too challenging to regulate trade and taxes, and that their resources would be spread too thin.

In addition, there were many people already living on the land in the Ohio Valley. Even though the French government had given up this territory to Britain, the French people who had settled there didn’t give up their claims to land or trade routes. The British could not afford another war, so they left the French settlers in those areas alone. There were other people settled in the Ohio Valley as well. Native Americans, who had helped the French during the War, were still fighting over land even though the War was over. One large battle called Pontiac's Rebellion went on even after the Europeans called a ceasefire.

George C. Bingham

>Even after Britain issued the Royal Proclamation of 1763, Daniel Boone continued to settle areas west of the Appalachian Mountains. This 1851 painting, Daniel Boone Leading Settlers through the Cumberland Gap, depicts the popular image of a confident Boone leading the early pioneers fearlessly into the West.

The British government did not want American colonists crossing the Appalachian Mountains and creating tension with the French and Native Americans there. The solution seemed simple. They issued the Royal Proclamation of 1763, which declared the boundaries of the thirteen colonies as the Appalachian Mountains. Any travel or settlement beyond the mountains would be illegal.

Proclaim and Inflame

The Royal Proclamation of 1763 was very unpopular with the colonists. For those living in the colonies, creating a boundary was not helpful because it did not address some of their biggest problems with the War. Colonial blood had been shed to fight the French and Indians, and many felt they had the right to go settle on the land that was won. In addition, the Royal Proclamation of 1763 did not account for American colonists who had already settled in the West.

Since the end of the War, colonial governments had started planning an expansion into the new western territory. In fact, this had become a big political issue among colonists. Now they were being asked to restrict their desires to expand and explore. This angered the colonists. They felt the Proclamation was a plot to keep them under the strict control of England and that the British only wanted them east of the mountains so they could keep an eye on them. As a result, colonists rebelled against this law just like they did with the mercantile laws. They took scores of wagons westward toward the Ohio Valley. They believed that if they acted together, it would be nearly impossible for the British to enforce their new law.

You are a British lawmaker. You know the colonists will say "go pound sand" and ignore the Proclamation and there isn't much you can do about it. Would you pass this law anyway? Or would you do something else and if so, what?

The fight between the colonists and the British over enforcement of the Royal Proclamation of 1763 was one of many political battles between the British and their subjects in America. The colonists did not feel the law respected their needs for growth, so they ignored the Proclamation and headed forth into the west.

1. Why did the British want to confine their colonists to living on land east of the Appalachian Mountains?
2. Why were the colonists resentful over not being able to expand west?
3. What were the Native Americans’ attitudes toward the colonists and the British and the colonists’ attitudes toward Native Americans?