George III Restricted Appalachian Settlement

On October 7, 1763, British King George III issued the Royal Proclamation, temporarily forbidding new colonial settlements west of a boundary along the Appalachian Mountains and designating the territory as an Indian Reserve. The order followed the Seven Years' War and regulated expansion into Britain's newly acquired lands. It also prohibited private purchases of Native land, allowing only Crown officials to negotiate future acquisitions. Colonial settlers and land speculators resented the restrictions, creating a dispute that contributed to the widening divide between Britain and the Thirteen Colonies.

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