Issued by the British following the conclusion of the French and Indian War, the Proclamation of 1763 was a significant factor in the cultivation of revolutionary fervor but one that has been somewhat neglected. The proclamation was an attempt by the British not only to prevent colonists from migrating westward but to stabilize relations with Native Americans after the French were forced out of the region. To many American colonists however, it was an infringement of freedoms on behalf of the British Empire.
Before the French and Indian War, colonial settlers had established homesteads west of the Appalachians, but not in large numbers. The Treaty of Paris ended the war in February 1763 and ceded all lands east of the Mississippi River to Britain, officially removing France from North America. When Britain acquired these new lands from France, settlements proved to be an issue as Native Americans attacked those moving west across the Appalachians.
Pontiac, an influential Ottawa war chief, successfully rallied a group of indigenous tribes to attack settlers and military installations in response to Britain’s takeover of the former French land. This movement was known as Pontiac’s Rebellion and was a key factor in the development of the 1763 Proclamation. Peace with the Native Americans was a major goal of the proclamation, as Britain wanted to obtain access to natural resources and continue trade across the Appalachians. To achieve this peace, Britain needed to regulate the new lands, and as a result, the Proclamation of 1763 was born.
Enacted in October 1763, the proclamation took effect after a spring and summer of skirmishes with Pontiac’s followers. While the proclamation was generally successful on the Native American front, it was viewed negatively by the colonists. Its clauses dictated that there could be no new settlements west of the Appalachian Mountains and forced those already there to return to their previous homes. In addition, prior contracts that the British government made with speculators were canceled and land plots that were promised became inaccessible as the new lands were closed off. In the western part of states like North Carolina, for example, the settlement of future counties was delayed because of the proclamation. These factors planted seeds of mistrust toward the British and added fuel to the revolutionary fire that had started to burn.
American colonists believed that the land west of the Appalachians was theirs to settle, yet the Proclamation took that option away in the names of peace and trade. While the Proclamation of 1763 did not lead to any drastic responses like the Boston Tea Party in response to the Tea Act, it provoked resentment in the hearts of the colonists, and is a prime example of why freedom was so important to the Founding Fathers.
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