<P> The war in North America officially ended with the signing of the Treaty of Paris on 10 February 1763, and war in the European theater was settled by the Treaty of Hubertusburg on 15 February 1763 . The British offered France the choice of surrendering either its continental North American possessions east of the Mississippi or the Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique, which had been occupied by the British . France chose to cede the former but was able to negotiate the retention of Saint Pierre and Miquelon, two small islands in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, along with fishing rights in the area . They viewed the economic value of the Caribbean islands' sugar cane to be greater and easier to defend than the furs from the continent . French philosopher Voltaire referred to Canada disparagingly as nothing more than a few acres of snow . The British, however, were happy to take New France, as defence of their North American colonies would no longer be an issue; they also had ample places from which to obtain sugar . Spain traded Florida to Britain in order to regain Cuba, but they also gained Louisiana from France, including New Orleans, in compensation for their losses . Great Britain and Spain also agreed that navigation on the Mississippi River was to be open to vessels of all nations . </P> <P> The war changed economic, political, governmental, and social relations among the three European powers, their colonies, and the people who inhabited those territories . France and Britain both suffered financially because of the war, with significant long - term consequences . </P> <P> Britain gained control of French Canada and Acadia, colonies containing approximately 80,000 primarily French - speaking Roman Catholic residents . The deportation of Acadians beginning in 1755 made land available to immigrants from Europe and migrants from the colonies to the south . The British resettled many Acadians throughout its North American provinces, but many went to France, and some went to New Orleans, which they had expected to remain French . Some were sent to colonize places as diverse as French Guiana and the Falkland Islands, but these efforts were unsuccessful . Others migrated to places such as Saint - Domingue or fled to New Orleans after the Haitian Revolution . The Louisiana population contributed to the founding of the modern Cajun population . (The French word "Acadien" changed to "Cadien" then to "Cajun".) </P> <P> Following the treaty, King George III issued the Royal Proclamation of 1763 on October 7, 1763 which outlined the division and administration of the newly conquered territory, and it continues to govern relations to some extent between the government of modern Canada and the First Nations . Included in its provisions was the reservation of lands west of the Appalachian Mountains to its Indian population, a demarcation that was only a temporary impediment to a rising tide of westward - bound settlers . The proclamation also contained provisions that prevented civic participation by the Roman Catholic Canadians . The Quebec Act addressed this and other issues in 1774, raising concerns in the largely Protestant Thirteen Colonies over the advance of "popery ." The Act maintained French Civil law, including the seigneurial system, a medieval code removed from France within a generation by the French Revolution . </P>

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