The Treaty of Paris marked the end of the French and Indian war and granted Britain a great deal of valuable North American land. However, the land also gave rise to many problems.

The British had won control of the Ohio Valley, marked by the Appalachian Mountains in the east and the Mississippi River in the west. Despite the acquisition of this land, the British tried to discourage American colonists from settling in it. The British already had difficulty administering the settled areas east of the Appalachians. Americans moving west would stretch British administrative resources thin.

Also, although the French government yielded the territory to Britain, French inhabitants would not easily give up their claims to land or trade routes. Scattered pockets of French settlers made the British fearful of another prolonged conflict. The war had dragged on long enough, and the British public was weary of paying for it.

Native Americans who had allied themselves with the French during the Seven Year War continued to fight after peace had been reached. Pontiac’s Rebellion occurred after France and England achieved a ceasefire.

The British did not want large numbers of American colonists crossing the Appalachians and fueling French and Native American resentment. The Royal Proclamation of 1763 was issued, declaring the boundaries of settlements for inhabitants of the 13 colonies to be Appalachia.

Source: The Royal Proclamation of 1763 #1
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