The Royal Proclamation
The Royal Proclamation sought to placate First Nations by declaring land west of the Appalachian mountain range "reserved for Indians" so settlers could not move there. It also said that the land could not be bought or sold.
"And whereas it is just and reasonable, and essential to Our Interest and the Security of Our Colonies, that the several Nations or Tribes of Indians, with whom We are connected, and who live under Our Protection, should not be molested or disturbed in the Possession of such Parts of Our Dominions and Territories as, not having been ceded to, or purchased by Us, are reserved to them, or any of them, as their Hunting Grounds;"
This document is still a part of the Canadian Constitution. Section 25 of the Constitution Act (1982) states
25. The guarantee in this Charter of certain rights and freedoms shall not be construed as to abrogate or derogate from any aboriginal, treaty or other rights or freedoms that pertain to the aboriginal peoples of Canada including:
- any rights or freedoms that have been recognized by the Royal Proclamation of October 7, 1763; and
- any rights or freedoms that now exist by way of land claims agreements or may be so acquired.
(meaning the rights in the Royal Proclamation can not be taken away by the laws Canada makes through its constitution)
Effects: settlers in the 13 colonies were frustrated by this because they were being denied access to land which could be farmed. The Royal Proclamation would eventually be one of the causes of the American Revolution.
In the US a battle at Fallen Timbers (August 20, 1794) led to 110 chiefs and warriors signing the Treaty of Fort Greenville which gave 25 000 square miles (most of Ohio, part of Indiana, and Detroit and Chicago) for $25 000 in goods (calico shirts, farm tools, hatchets, ribbons, combs, mirrors, and blankets) and a yearly payment of $9500 to be divided among the tribes. Even back then, such a small payment for the land was humiliating (some tribes were given $500 a year), but war and settlement had destroyed the land and crops so many were dependent on the US for food.
"Although land was bought and treaties were signed by British officials, the deals were often defined in the vaguest of terms. For example, northern boundaries were determined by how far a person could walk in a day or by how far one could hear the sound of a gun fired from the lakeshore. The First Nations received very little for the immense tracts of land they ceded. In 1784, the Mississaugas gave up 3 million acres along the Niagara Peninsula for less than 1200 pounds worth of gifts. British negotiators were always cautioned "to pay the utmost attention to Economy." Treatment of the Natives was often tawdry too. Charles II was advised to bestow on the "Indian Kings" who needed wooing "small crowns or coronets made of thin silver plate, guilt and adorned false stones."