Why did the British issue the Proclamation of 1763?

The Proclamation of 1763 was issued at the end of the French and Indian War.  There is some debate as to exactly why King George III and Britain may have issued the proclamation, but the main reason for the proclamation was that it was supposed to protect both the colonists and the Native Americans.  The proclamation itself forbade citizens or colonial governments from buying land or making agreements with the Native Americans.  This effectively shut...

The Proclamation of 1763 was issued at the end of the French and Indian War.  There is some debate as to exactly why King George III and Britain may have issued the proclamation, but the main reason for the proclamation was that it was supposed to protect both the colonists and the Native Americans.  The proclamation itself forbade citizens or colonial governments from buying land or making agreements with the Native Americans.  This effectively shut down westward expansion of the colonies.  By shutting down the westward movement of colonists, Britain hoped to appease the Native Americans who felt threatened by rapid westward colonization.  The thinking was that the proclamation would also protect the colonists from angry Native Americans and their retaliatory raids.  The thinking worked the other way too.  If colonists were not expanding west, the colonists weren't thinking of attacking the Native Americans.  Many settlers defied the proclamation in order to secure more and better farmland, and the proclamation came to an end with American independence.