AP US History in 1 Minute Daily: Pontiac's Rebellion & the Proclamation of 1763 (Day 37/309)

Welcome to today’s explanation of Pontiac’s Rebellion & the Proclamation of 1763 in my series- APUSH in 1 Minute Daily!

Claims Before and After French and Indian Wars, Library of Congress

With their victory in the Seven Years’ War, the British doubled their land claims in North America. Colonists quickly began moving westward onto lands controlled by American Indians.

Visit of Chief Pontiac and the Indians to Major Henry Gladwin Wikimedia Commons

With the expulsion of the French, alliances shifted. The British refused to participate in gift-giving ceremonies as the French had done. Additionally, Indigenous leaders declared they had become too dependent upon Europeans.

Pontiac Conspiracy, Wikimedia Commons

In an example of unprecedented pan-Indian resistance, Ottawa Chief Pontiac, with an alliance of several tribes, led a major attack against developing colonial settlements. British troops put down the uprising and cruelly killed even those not in rebellion.

Proclamation Line of 1763, Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation

After the rebellion, the British passed the Proclamation of 1763 which prohibited colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains to prevent future hostilities. However, colonists frustrated with the limitations to their freedoms often defied the order.

Pontiac’s Rebellion occurred in response to British encroachments on American Indian lands and led to the passage of the Proclamation of 1763. This law was the first in a series of new British policies in which the government exerted stricter control upon the colonies.

Join me tomorrow as I explain the Sugar and Stamp Acts in our next APUSH in 1 Minute Daily!