The Treaty of Paris (1763): Britain Gained Land East of the Mississippi, Not Gave It to America

Correction: The British did not “give America land all the way to the Mississippi.”

The Treaty of Paris (1763) ended the French and Indian War. Britain gained from France all territory east of the Mississippi River (including Canada) and from Spain, Florida. Britain then issued the Proclamation of 1763, prohibiting colonial settlement west of the Appalachians to avoid conflict with Native nations and control expansion.

American colonists resented this restriction; it became a grievance leading to the Revolution. The U.S. only gained land to the Mississippi via the Treaty of Paris (1783) after independence.