The American Revolution: From Proclamation to War - Essay Sample

Introduction

In the study of American history, the American Revolution keeps popping up because of the influence it bore in building the now great nation of America. British colonies broke away from the empire as a result of the American Revolution. However, it should be known that the beginning of the American Revolution was initiated by the Proclamation of 1763. Before the Stamp Act as well as the Boston Tea Party, the royal Proclamation initiated the growth of resentment that led to War between colonies and the mother country (Clinton, 1989). This little decree - the Royal Proclamation of 1763, played an essential role in early American history and has left a legacy that can still be felt in North America today (Clinton, 1989). Independence gained by the United States sprouted from the prolonged and immense interactions between the Britain, French, and the Native Americans. The U.S independence acknowledges its roots from the Proclamation issued by the royal crown of Great Britain. The Proclamation formed the basis for independence through the American Revolution, well- defined geographical boundaries, the first example of formal trading measure, and the cornerstone of the Native American Law in the United States.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

At the end of the French and Indian War in 1973, King George III issued the Proclamation to appease the Native Americans (Alvord, 1907). The Proclamation controlled the encroachment of European settlers on the Indians' lands. The French and Indians had lost the War to Britain and were forced to give up all lands in North America. The task of governing the vast territory seemed to be a problem for Great Britain, because the newly acquired lands did not have existing government structures to rule and also because a large population of the Indians had remained. The Proclamation of 1763 aimed to encourage peace between colonists and the remaining Indian tribes. The enacted proclamation line was meant to reduce the tension between the British settlers and the indigenous people. Besides, Great Britain's efforts to discourage westward expansion was motivated by sociopolitical as well as economic factors (Alvord, 1907). The hunger for more land in the west would be a threat to Britain's mercantile economic system along the coastal line of North American colonies.

The Proclamation of 1763 seemed like a great solution to Britain. However, it turned out to be a disaster. The Proclamation, which was a temporary measure, proved futile, and it caused resentment in the colonists toward imperial control emanating from the mother country. The colonists were angered by the fact that they had sacrificed substantial resources for the sake of War, yet upon victory, they are denied their rightful prize. No settler was allowed to acquire lands past the Appalachian Mountains and those who already owned were rendered void. Furthermore, the Proclamation introduced new rules regarding trade between the Native Americans and the settlers. Trade permissions were only valid upon approval by the British government. These restrictions from the British government created frustrations among the colonists.

The resentment by the colonists towards the mother country escalated the tensions in the North American colonies, leading to the American Revolution. The American Revolution sprouted from the division among the British colonists and their mother country. Britain failed to reapprove all the voided land purchases previously made by the colonists. Consequently, the colonies boycotted the subsequent acts passed after the Proclamation while claiming that Britain is against their economic success in their colonies. The anger demonstrated by the colonists reinforced the belief that Great Britain's rule was oppressive. Therefore, Native Americans saw an opportunity out of the situation and mobilized themselves into eradicating the oppressive British rule for good. In as much as the Proclamation was issued to ensure peace between the colonists and the Native Americans, it fueled the flames of colonial rebellion hence the eruption of the American Revolution. It is the American Revolution that perpetrated the attainment of independence in the United States, freeing them from the chains of the British Rule.

The Proclamation of 1763 is significant in American history because it led to the establishment of well-defined geographical boundaries. The act created the provinces of Quebec (Canada), East Florida, and West Florida, among others (Del Papa, 1975). It is the two Floridas that merged and formed the current prominent state of Florida in the United States. Also, Quebec ended up becoming one of the most populated provinces and territories of present-day Canada.

Nonetheless, the Proclamation was in itself a representation of the earliest example of a formal trading measure of Native American land titles during Europe's colonization of the New World (Fenge & Aldridge, 2015). It set an example for government control of trading procedures with the indigenous people. Before the Proclamation was issued, the British settlers transacted with the indigenous people without restrictions from the British government; they handled their business dealings without interference from the imperial government. Upon the release of the Proclamation, the trade affairs between the settlers and the Native Americans were controlled by the British government. The American government copied this style of trade control as done by the British government after U.S. gained independence. The American Revolution led to independence, giving the American government full mandate over the business activities going on in the territories. As such, the American government enacted policies through acts as well as laws regarding reservation boundaries and private business dealings (Slattery, 1763). The Proclamation also formed the foundation of the Native American Laws because it acknowledged the rights of the indigenous people, thereby giving them protection from external interference. Purchase of lands in the North American colonies required approval from the British government, and later the American government took control.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Proclamation of 1763 can be seen to have resulted in disaster for the British government. Even though it was enacted as a temporary measure to protect the Native Americans from further encroachment on their lands, it resulted in resentment from the colonists. This resentment led to division and mistrust between the British settlers and the mother country giving the natives an opportunity to start a revolution, the American Revolution. It is this revolution that led to the attainment of independence in the United States because the distrust posed a weak point in the British rule system. The Proclamation of 1763 also brought about trade restrictions by the British government, and later the American government copied the same. Moreover, the Proclamation also laid the foundation for government involvement in the trade affairs between the settlers and the native individuals, thereby forming a basis for the Native American Law. Lastly, the Proclamation also led to the establishment of well-defined geographical boundaries giving rise to present-day Florida and Canada. It is therefore evident that the Proclamation of 1763 remains to be an act of great importance in American history. It resulted in many changes that have revolutionized the country in many aspects.

References

Alvord, C. W. (1907). Genesis of the Proclamation of 1763.

Clinton, R. N. (1989). The Proclamation of 1763: Colonial Prelude to Two Centuries of Federal-State Conflict over the Management of Indian Affairs. BUL, Rev., 69, 329. Retrieved from https://heinonline.org/hol-cgi-bin/get_pdf.cgi?handle=hein.journals/bulr69&section=15

Del Papa, E. M. (1975). The Royal Proclamation of 1763: Its effect upon Virginia land companies. The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, 406-411. Retrieved from https://www.jstor.org/stable/4247979

Fenge, T., & Aldridge, J. (2015). Keeping promises: The Royal Proclamation of 1763, Aboriginal rights, and treaties in Canada. McGill-Queen's Press-MQUP.

Slattery, B. (1763). The Royal Proclamation of 1763 and the Aboriginal Constitution. Keeping Promises: The Royal Proclamation of, 14-32. Retrieved from https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3340293