Importance Of The Royal Proclamation Of 1763 example essay topic

In North America, the battle that involves France and Great Britain is engage in a struggle for the control of the North America. The result of the Seven Years' War is the British conquest of New France. After the war, Great Britain has accumulated new territories and in order to manage the newly acquired lands, a Royal Proclamation is declared by King George, on October 7, 1763. The importance of the Royal Proclamation of 1763 is to act as the initial constitution of the newly acquired territories, provided Quebec it's first civil government and the significant sections of the Royal Proclamation is to apply new rules in the territories in the interior is deliberately issued to prevent such conflict among the aboriginal people and the Europeans.

One of the main purposes of the Royal Proclamation is to provide a constitution for the newly acquired territories for management purposes. The proclamation worked to divide the territory into four distinctive areas, which is easier to implement governing structures. The colonies are established as Quebec, East Florida, West Florida and the island of Grenada by the order of King George. The boundaries of Quebec is a narrow one and quite limited from all of it's frontiers.

The Royal Proclamation of 1763 is the first constitution that is given to Quebec by the British government following the Treaty of Paris of 1763. The proclamation gave Quebec its first civil government since the Conquest of 1760. The British government chose James Murray as to be the first civil Governor in Chief of the province of Quebec. The proclamation did not completely eliminated the French civil law but it did as much. James Murray is certified to institute court of justice and he's responsible for determining criminal and civil cases, .".. with the Advice of our said Councils respectively, Courts of Judicature and public Justice within our Said Colonies for hearing and determining all Causes, as well Criminal as Civil, according to Law and Equity, and as near as may be agreeable to the Laws of England... ".

(King George, The Royal Proclamation of 1763). The main focus now is the process of assimilating the French people in hope that in the future the French people would come to adopt the religious faith and accept the political views and values of their new British authorities. The growing number of Protestant church and schools is in a steady growth as an effort to massively convert the majority of the French population. This procedure will facilitate the abolishment of the Roman Catholicism amongst the population.

The ambitious conversion imposed by the civil government is a hard goal to achieve. The government simply cannot apply enough pressure to the entire French population to abandon their original culture and religion and to expect them to embrace a whole new one. James Murray started to question the civilian governmental structure. The Royal Proclamation contains a condition that imposed a formation of Canadian Roman Catholics from participating in the government. The Governor in Chief realized about 200 government officials who are British Protestants would be creating laws for the largely French Roman Catholics populated colony, who out number the Protestant population to some 70,000 people. They took for granted that the entire population would wish to assimilate.

An important aspect of the Royal Proclamation is the Indian provision that gives the aboriginals a separate Indian territory. This was the result of the Pontiac rebellion by the aboriginals of the Great Lakes who feared that their rights would be affected by the British conquest of New France. As the result of this open rebellion, Britain promised and guaranteed the aboriginals their territory and keeps the Europeans away from their territory. The given provision concerning Indian lands, "And whereas it is just and reasonable, and essential to our Interest, and the Security of our Colonies, that the several Nations or Tribes of Indians with whom We are connected, and who live under our Protection, should not be molested or disturbed in the Possession of such Parts of Our Dominions and Territories as, not having been ceded to or purchased by Us, are reserved to them, or any of them, as their Hunting Grounds... ". Furthermore, there should be no European settlement allowed on the reserve Indian lands, "And We do hereby strictly forbid, on Pain of our Displeasure, all our loving Subjects from making any Purchases or Settlements whatever, or taking Possession of any of the Lands above reserved, without our especial leave and Licence for that Purpose first obtained" (King George, The Royal Proclamation of 1763).

In details, anyone cannot acquire any area inside the Indian territory, "that no private Person do presume to make any purchase from the said Indians of any Lands reserved to the said Indians, within those parts of our Colonies where We have thought proper to allow Settlement... ". The only settlement that is permitted is when the Crown has legally acquire title through purchase or treaty with the aboriginal people, .".. if at any Time any of the Said Indians should be inclined to dispose of the said Lands, the same shall be Purchased only for Us, in our Name, at some public Meeting or Assembly of the said Indians, to be held for that Purpose by the Governor or Commander in Chief of our Colony respectively within which they shall lie... ". Another clause in the proclamation permits trade to the Indians only to those who. ".. that the Trade with the said Indians shall be free and open to all our Subjects whatever, provided that every Person who may incline to Trade with the said Indians do take out a Licence for carrying on such Trade from the Governor or Commander in Chief of any of our Colonies... ".

These provisions will eventually be the base of policies to come, which leads to clearly recognized regulations for the Aboriginals right to hunt and fish. The British government's objectives were complex when they issued the Royal Proclamation in effect to the government of Quebec. They desired the successful assimilation of all the population and create settings to attract British immigrants and eventually over take the majority of the French Roman Catholics. These are all important aspects to have their presence and authority to survive in Quebec and their other colonies. What is basically wrong with the Royal Proclamation is that it is designed for a British colony or British culture ready colony for British immigrants when in fact the majority of the population to remain are now the Canadiens. Even though that only later on, the British immigrants started arriving from the south who are loyalists trying to escape the American Revolution and when they arrived they did not even affect the Canadiens in their way of resisting the British assimilation.

King George. The Royal Proclamation. Great Britain: George R, 1763 Sources Miller, J.R. Skyscrapers Hide the Heavens. A History of Indian-White Relations in Canada. Third Edition.

Toronto, Canada: University of Toronto Press Incorporated, 2000.