The Royal Proclamation act essays

The Royal Proclamation act essays The Royal Proclamation Act of 1763 was issued by the British government in the name of King George III to prohibit settlement by British colonists beyond the Appalachian Mountains in the lands captured by Britain from France in the French and Indian War/Seven Years' War and to end exploitative purchases of aboriginal land. It established requirements that had to be met before aboriginal land could be purchased, including one that the purchase must be approved by a meeting of all members of the people selling the land. The motivation for the proclamation was a desire to avoid the expense of further wars with Native Peoples. The proclamation was largely ignored on the ground (in particular in settlements already established in the prohibited area) but its very existence created a large amount of resentment among the British colonists. After the American Revolutionary War, the Royal Proclamation of 1763 became a dead letter in the United States, but continued in force in Rupert's Land, which later became part of Canada. The proclamation forms the basis of land claims of aboriginal peoples in Canada: First Nations, Inuit, and Metis The Royal Proclamation of 1763 is mentioned in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. It appeared that the Proclamation of 1763 had nothing but the most noble intentions. In fact there were some flaws in it at the time, and other ones that have developed recently. For example, it declared that the Crown was best suited to alienate Indian lands. This meant that all leases and sales of Indian lands would be forever conducted through the Crown as an intermediary. Responsibility and control thus lay with the governing officials and the Indians, conveying a hierarchical relationship rather than an equal partnership. This inequality was also evident in the Proclamations implicit preference for written treaties. Unlike the Europeans, who had recognized written agreements for several centuries, North Am...