On This Date-- Kayla Beebout

On October 7, 1763, King George III issued the Proclamation of 1763, which prohibited the American colonists from settling north and west of the Allegheny Mountain Range, part of the Appalachian Mountains.  This event was the beginning of the end of Britain’s control over the American colonies.  The most important commodity to the colonists was land, and they believed that England had no right to tell them what land they could or could not take.  For them, land was the way to make a living.  It was the reason many of them had crossed the Atlantic in the first place.  Many of them protested the Proclamation or simply ignored it.  In reality, though, the British government was trying to do what it thought best for the Americans.  They were trying to make settlements with the Native Americans who already lived in the region and were trying to prevent another conflict like the French and Indian War.

This event was pivotal in the history of our nation because it was when the colonists began doubting the legitimacy of the British government.  It was the beginning of a long period of increased regulation and repeated protests.  These protests, of course, culminated in the Declaration of Independence and the war that followed.  And that war lead to the beginning of this nation’s existence, which has lasted for over 200 years and still stands strong.