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Proclamation of 1763

Definition

The Proclamation of 1763 was an order issued by King George III following Great Britain's acquisition of French territory in North America after the end of the French and Indian War/Seven Years' War, which forbade all settlement past a line drawn along the Appalachian Mountains.

Analogy

Think of this like your parents setting boundaries on where you can go in your neighborhood. You're free to roam within those limits, but crossing them would get you into trouble - just like how colonists were forbidden from settling beyond the Appalachian Mountains.

Related terms

King George III: He was King of Great Britain and Ireland from 25 October 1760 until his death in 1820.

French and Indian War/Seven Years' War: This war took place between 1754–63, it was a conflict primarily fought between the colonies of British America and New France, with both sides supported by military units from their parent countries.

Appalachian Mountains: A large mountain range in Eastern North America that served as a natural boundary for colonial expansion.