Freedom Project
Course/Grade level: Social Studies/Guided Reading - 5 th
Lesson Title: The Proclamation of 1763
Teacher: Kayla Lischka
Aims/Objectives and Standards:
The objectives of this lesson are: to instruct the student about the effects the
Proclamation of 1763 had on the colonists, Indians and British. How the
Proclamation of 1763 became a major reason leading to the Revolutionary War.
Illinois State Standards:
1.A., tB., tC., 2.A., 2.B., 3.C., 4.A., 4.B, 5.A., 16.A., 16.B.,17.A
Procedure:
Pass out information, vocabulary list,
Review vocabulary and assign a word to look up in the dictionary.
Review definitions
Read the Proclamation of 1763 and discuss material
Assign worksheet and map as a formal assessment.
The map is left blank to allow teachers to use at his/her discretion.
Materials:
Dictionaries, social studies book or atlas, pencils, colored pencils and vocabulary
journals
Attached documents, background information, map, vocabulary list, and worksheet
Resources and Scholarship:
American Revolution DK Eyewitness Books, DK Publishing written by Stuart
Murray.
The Blackwell Encyclopedia of the American Revolution, edited by Jack P. Greene
and J.K. Pole
Exploring History-American Revolution, Teacher Created Materials,Inc.
Conclusion/Lesson wrap up:
The worksheet, map and group discussion should help students to better
understand the events that led up to our fight for Independence.
The Proclclmation of 1763
Vocabulary
uprising
victorious
fronts
establishment
stunning
influences
complaints
eliminated
envied
revenge
humiliation
At the end ofthe French and Indian War (1754-1763),
England had defeated all her enemies and was victorious on
all fronts. The British army had scored stunning successes in
Europe, North America, India, the West Indies, and Southeast
Asia. With the signing of the Treaty of Paris in 1763, France's
influence was completely eliminated from North America.
Canada was English, as were all of the lands east of the
Mississippi River to the Atlantic Ocean. Great Britain was
supreme. But it was also hated and envied by the other
nations of Europe. Many of these former enemies were
waiting for the chance to get revenge for past humiliations.
The vast territories gained after years of struggle now had to
be protected. A great Indian uprising in 1763 led by Chief
Pontimac was a clear warning of how weak the border was
with the absence of British soldiers.
England had a war debt of 120 million pounds sterling. The
mother country wanted to keep the military establishment at
a minimum. She was anxious for the Americans to pay their
fair share of the cost, especially the maintenance of the
troops along the frontier and in the outposts. The king and his
ministers had a ready solution, and it was clearly stated in the
proclamation of 1763 as enacted by England's Parliament. No
settlers would be allowed west of the Allegheny Mountains.
This would ensure that the Indians would remain at peace. No
large groups of British troops would have to be housed in the
western regions and the outposts if the Native Americans
remained peaceful. The land west of the Alleghenies would be
Indian hunting grounds. Anyone settled in that region would
have to resettle in the east.
The colonists were angered by the Proclamation of 1763. As
far as they were concerned, this was a poor attempt to hold
back the westward movement. The colonists, to a large
extent, simply ignored the Proclamation of 1763 and
continued to move across the mountains into the Ohio
country. The colonists wanted the lands west ofthe
Alleghenies. After all, why else was the French and Indian War
fought? The reaction to the Proclamation of 1763 was the
first of the complaints the colonists lodged against the crown,
and it remained a sore point throughout the whole period
leading up to the War for Independence.
Vocabulary
protected
struggle
vast
maintenance
enacted
bittersweet
reaction
lodged
warpath
debt
British Acts Imposed on the Colonies
Proclamation of 1763: The Facts
Provisions of the Law
•
•
•
•
It temporarily outlawed settlement west of the Allegheny Mountains.
The rich Indian trade was placed under royal license.
All land purchases from the western Indians were canceled.
Frontiersmen living in the Ohio River Valley were required "forthwith to remove themselves."
Date: 1763
Reasons for the British Action
Britain's triumph in the French and Indian War (1754-1763) was a bittersweet victory. While it entirely
eliminated France from North America, it also created the need for the British to defend vast territories,
putting a future strain on the royal treasury. Pontiac's uprising in 1763 added to the existing worries
when many western British outposts were wiped out by the restless Indian tribes on the warpath along
the Allegheny frontier.
The crown was faced with a war debt in excess of 120 millipn pounds. To lighten this heavy burden,
royal authorities determined to keep defense costs to a minimum. This was accomplished by keeping
settlers out of the western territories, where fewer soldiers would be needed in the outposts. Also, the
Indians would be peaceful and calm, appreciative of the king's efforts to keep lands west of the
Alleghenies as Indian territories.
How the Proclamation Was Enforced
It could not be enforced. The western flow of'settlers could not be stopped. The Proclamation of 1763
was like an open sore that just wouldn't heal, and it continued to be a major colonial complaint against
the British crown, right through the period before the Revolution.
Points of View
Patriots/Radicals: This element, and probably most of the colonists, ignored the Proclamation of 1763
and continued to migrate into the Ohio country (Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee). This law could not be
enforced. The British would have had to put an army of more than 100,000 soldiers into forts along the
entire frontier region, from Maine down to Georgia.
Loyalists: Many of the "conservatives" were land buyers, and they made fortunes on land purchases in
the Ohio country. They were extremely opposed to any measure that frustrated their attempts to make
money or that cut into their profits. If only for these reasons, they were opposed to the Proclamation of
1763 and stood with the Radicals.
Moderates: If any in this group were interested in moving west into the Ohio country, then they were
opposed to the Proclamation of 1763. If they were interested in buying land, they were opposed. Many
probably had no opinion one way or the other.
.\0
ProcfartUltion of 1763
Date: 1763
Provisions
of tlie Law
• It temporarily outlawed settlement west of
the Allegheny Mo~ntains.
• The rich Indian trade was placed under royal
license.
• All land purchases from the western Indians
were canceled.
• Frontiersmen living in the Ohio River Valley
were required "forthwith to remove
themselves."
Proclamation of 1763
Vocabulary-Matching
1. uprising_ _
a) to lower the pride, dignity or self respect;
make ashamed
2. struggle_ _
b) to do harm in return for a wrong doing
3. vast_ _
c) a revolt; rebellion
4. stunning_ _
d) very great; immense
5. eliminate_ _
e) to try hard; work hard against difficulties
6. revenge
_
f) shocking; bewildering
7. humiliate_ _
g) to get rid of; remove
8. envy_ _
h) a desire because another person has what
you want
True or False
9. With the signing of the Treaty of Paris in 1763, France's influence was
eliminated from North America.,
_
10. Chief Tomahawk led an Indian uprising in 1763._ _
11. No settlers would be allowed west of the Allegheny Mountains after the
Proclamation of 1763._ _
12. The land east of the Alleghenies would be Indian hunting grounds._ _
13. The colonists followed the Proclamation of 1763 and moved out of the Ohio
country._ _
Short Answers
14. Which sentence in paragraph 3 best conveys the colonists' reaction to the
Proclamation of 1763?
15. This article is a sample of what genre?
16. What is paragraph #2 about?
17. After reading the article, what can you infer will happen?
18. What is a synonym for struggle?
19. What is an antonym for revenge?
Extended Response
20. In your own words share what you would have done if you were living in the
Ohio country before the Proclamation of 1763. Would you move? Would you
stay in your home? Explain.
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