Why did the Crown and First Nations enter into treaty agreements?
When Europeans came to the shores of North America, they developed approaches for establishing relationships with First Nations people. The British developed an approach of making treaties with First Nations for the purposes of securing military and trade alliances, acquiring lands and ensuring peace and friendship. In the initial years of contact, the British had a policy of making “Peace and Friendship Treaties.” This approach changed after the issuing of the King of England’s Royal Proclamation of 1763. The Proclamation established guidelines for treaty making—only the Crown could enter into treaties with First Nations. It also stipulated that the treaty making process had to be held with First Nations representatives in public forums. The Crown began entering into Treaties with First Nations in Eastern Canada as early as 1790. In the early 1870s, the Government of Canada was interested in acquiring the lands further west for settlement. As a result, it continued its long-standing t
