The Proclamation of 1763 was issued by King George III on October 7, 1763, following the Treaty of Paris that ended the Seven Years War and transferred French territory in North America to Great Britain. The proclamation dealt with the management of former French territories in North America that Britain acquired following its victory over France in the French and Indian War, as well as regulating colonial settlers expansion. The key provisions of the proclamation were:
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Proclamation Line: The proclamation forbade colonial settlement beyond the line of the Appalachian Mountains, which was marked in the Appalachian Mountains at the Eastern Continental Divide. The line extended from Georgia in the south to the divides northern terminus near the middle of the northern border of Pennsylvania, where it intersects the northeasterly St. Lawrence River.
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New Governments: The proclamation established new governments for several areas: the province of Quebec, the new colonies of West Florida and East Florida, and a group of Caribbean islands, Grenada, Tobago, Saint Vincent, and Dominica, collectively referred to as the British Ceded Islands.
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Native American Lands: The proclamation "preserved to the said Indians" the lands west of the Appalachian Mountains and ordered White settlers "there forthwith to remove themselves from such Settlements," forbade White settlement, and restricted commerce with the American Indians to traders licensed by the British government.
The proclamation and access to western lands was one of the first significant areas of dispute between Britain and the colonies and would become a contributing factor leading to the American Revolution. Some see the Royal Proclamation of 1763 as a "fundamental document" for First Nations land claims and self-government. It is "the first legal recognition by the British Crown of Aboriginal rights" and imposes a fiduciary duty of care on the Crown.
