What was the Royal Proclamation of 1763?

• A. A statement that set a clear boundary between the Thirteen Colonies and the First Nations land in the Ohio Valley.
• B. A treaty that forbade colonial trade with the First Nations.
• C. A law that granted independence to the colonies.
• D. A decree that ceded western lands to France.

Answer: (A)

The main concept here is how the Royal Proclamation of 1763 organized land and relations after Britain gained New France. It drew a boundary along the Appalachian Mountains, marking lands to the west as Indigenous territory and keeping colonial expansion east of that line. In practical terms, settlers were discouraged from moving west of the boundary without Crown authorization, and purchases or treaties with the Crown were required to acquire western lands. This framing aimed to reduce conflicts on the frontier and establish imperial governance in the wake of the Seven Years’ War.

That’s why the statement about setting a boundary between the Thirteen Colonies and First Nations land in the Ohio Valley is the best fit. It captures the core action of the Proclamation—the division between colonial settlement area and Indigenous lands in that region.

The other descriptions don’t fit: it wasn’t a blanket ban on trade with Indigenous nations, it didn’t grant independence to the colonies, and it didn’t cede western lands to France.