Book 1, Chapter 2 The Dilemma of British Policy Summary

British officials did not pay too much attention at first to the settlement of western lands in America or to emigration from Britain to the colonies. These later concerns did not pay a role in the early efforts of the British government to establish and shape policies on the western lands. The Proclamation of 1763 closed the trans-Appalachian west, except to licensed traders, and created the colonies of Quebec, East and West Florida. This proclamation aimed to slow expansion to prevent border violence and gradually introduce civil government in these areas. Yet, many British officials didn't seem to fully comprehend the implications of expansion in the American west, and how it was connected to British emigration.

One man, however, did grasp the implications and sought to do something about the issues he...