The Royal Proclamation included measures that affected religion and territory. Which option accurately describes one of its policies?

• A. It aimed to assimilate the French, abolished French Civil Law, established "Indian Territory" and disallowed Catholics from holding Government positions
• B. It created a bilingual constitution and extended voting rights to Catholics
• C. It promoted free trade with the United States
• D. It allowed Catholics to hold government positions

Answer: (A)

When the British took control after the Seven Years’ War, the Proclamation aimed to establish a clear framework for governing new lands, including how to handle land, law, and religion. A major move was to separate Indigenous lands from colonial settlement by creating an Indian Territory to the west and requiring that land purchases from Indigenous nations go through the Crown. At the same time, it began moving away from French legal traditions in the conquered territories by introducing English law for many private matters, which was part of bringing French Canadians under British rule. It also reflected Protestant influence by restricting Catholics from holding certain government roles in the new administration.

So the policy described—assimilating the French by abolishing French Civil Law, setting aside Indian Territory, and limiting Catholics from government positions—fits what the Proclamation aimed to do. The other options don’t reflect these land, legal, and religious governance changes that the Proclamation attempted.