Treaty of Paris ( 1763 ) The Treaty of Paris , also known as the Peace of Paris and the Treaty of 1763 , was signed on 10 February 1763 by the kingdoms of Great Britain , France and Spain , with Portugal in agreement , after Britain ' s victory over France and Spain during the Seven Years ' War . The signing of the treaty formally ended the Seven Years ' War , otherwise known as the French and Indian War in the North American theatre , which marked the beginning of an era of British dominance outside Europe . The treaty did not involve Prussia and Austria as they signed a separate agreement , the Treaty of Hubertusburg , five days later . Exchange of territories . During the war , Britain had conquered the French colonies of Canada , Guadeloupe , Martinique , Saint Lucia , Dominica , Grenada , Saint Vincent and the Grenadines , and Tobago , the French " factories " ( trading posts ) in India , the slave - trading station at Gorée , the Sénégal River and its settlements , and the Spanish colonies of Manila ( in the Philippines ) and Havana ( in Cuba ) . France had captured Minorca and British trading posts in Sumatra , while Spain had captured the border fortress of Almeida in Portugal , and Colonia del Sacramento in South America . In the treaty , most of these territories were restored to their original owners . Britain however made considerable gains . France and Spain restored all their conquests to Britain and Portugal . Britain restored Manila and Havana to Spain , and Guadeloupe , Martinique , Saint Lucia , Gorée , and the Indian factories to France . In return , France ceded Canada , Dominica , Grenada , Saint Vincent and the Grenadines , and Tobago to Britain . France also ceded the eastern half of French Louisiana ] ] to Britain ; that is , the area from the Mississippi River to the Appalachian Mountains . Spain ceded Florida to Britain . France had already secretly given Louisiana to Spain in the [ [ Treaty of Fontainebleau ( 1762 ) ] ] . In addition , while France regained its factories in India , France recognized British clients as the rulers of key Indian native states , and pledged not to send troops to Bengal . Britain agreed to demolish its fortifications in [ [ British Honduras ] ] ( now Belize ) , but retained a logwood - cutting colony there . Britain confirmed the right of its new subjects to practice the Catholic religion . France ceded all of its territory in mainland North America , but retained fishing rights off Newfoundland and the two small islands of [ [ Saint Pierre and Miquelon ] ] , where it could dry that fish . In turn France gained the return of its sugar colony , Guadeloupe , which it considered more valuable than Canada . Louisiana question . The Treaty of Paris is frequently noted as the point at which France gave Louisiana to Spain . However the transfer actually occurred in the [ [ Treaty of Fontainebleau ( 1762 ) ] ] but was not publicly announced until 1764 . The Treaty of Paris was to give Britain the east side of the Mississippi ( including Baton Rouge , Louisiana , which was to be part of the British territory of West Florida ) . New Orleans on the east side remained in French hands ( albeit temporarily ) . The Mississippi River corridor in what is modern day Louisiana was to be reunited following the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 and the [ [ Adams – Onís Treaty ] ] in 1819 . The 1763 treaty states in Article VII : Canada question . British perspective . While the war was fought all over the world , the British began the war over French possessions in North America . It was acceptable to return the French economically powerful sugar islands for the defense of the American colonies . Also , while the war weakened France , France was still a European [ [ Historical powers | Power ] ] . British Prime Minister [ [ John Stuart , 3rd Earl of Bute | Lord Bute ] ] wanted a peace that would not aggravate France towards a second war . This explains why Britain agreed to return so much while being in such a strong position . Though the Protestant British feared Roman Catholics , Britain did not want to antagonize France through expulsion or forced conversion . On the other hand , Britain did not want French settlers to leave Canada to strengthen other French settlements in North America . This explains Britain ’ s willingness to protect Roman Catholics living in Canada . French perspective . Unlike Lord Bute , the French Foreign Minister the [ [ Étienne François de Choiseul , Duke of Choiseul | Duke of Choiseul ] ] expected a return to war . However , France needed peace to rebuild . French diplomats believed that without France to keep the Americans in check , the colonists might attempt to revolt . In Canada , France wanted open emigration for those who would not swear allegiance to the British Crown such as nobility . Lastly , France required protection for Roman Catholics in North America considering Britain ’ s ill attitudes towards Roman Catholics . Canada in the Treaty of Paris . The article states : Dunkirk question . During the negotiations that led to the treaty , a major issue of dispute between Britain and France had been over the status of the fortifications of the French coastal settlement of Dunkirk . The British had long feared that it would be used as a staging post to launch a French [ [ Planned French Invasion of Britain ( 1759 ) | invasion of Britain ] ] . Under the [ [ Treaty of Utrecht ] ] in 1713 they had forced France to concede extreme limits on the fortifications there . The 1748 [ [ Treaty of Aix - la - Chapelle ( 1748 ) | Treaty of Aix - la - Chapelle ] ] had allowed more generous terms , and France had constructed greater defences for the town . By the Treaty Britain forced France to accept the earlier 1713 conditions and demolish the fortifications they had constructed since then . This would be a continuing source of resentment to France , who would eventually have this clause overturned in the [ [ Treaty of Paris ( 1783 ) ] ] which brought an end to the [ [ American Revolutionary War ] ] . Reaction . When [ [ John Stuart , 3rd Earl of Bute | Lord Bute ] ] became Prime Minister in 1762 , he pushed for a resolution to the war with France and Spain , fearing that Great Britain could not govern all of its newly acquired territories . In what [ [ Winston Churchill ] ] would later term a policy of " appeasement , " Bute returned some colonies to Spain and France in the negotiations . Despite a desire for peace , many in the British parliament opposed the return of any gains made during the war . Notable among the opposition was former Prime Minister [ [ William Pitt , 1st Earl of Chatham | William Pitt , the Elder ] ] , who warned that the terms of the treaty would only lead to further conflicts once France and Spain had time to rebuild . " The peace was insecure , " he would later say , " because it restored the enemy to her former greatness . The peace was inadequate , because the places gained were no equivalent for the places surrendered . " Members of Parliament known to oppose the treaty were dismissed from offices , until it was certain to pass . When the treaty was approved in Great Britain , it passed 319 votes to 65 opposed . The Treaty of Paris took no consideration of Great Britain ' s battered continental ally , [ [ Frederick the Great | Frederick II of Prussia ] ] . Frederick would have to negotiate peace terms separately in the Treaty of Hubertusburg . For decades following the Seven Years ' War , Frederick II would consider the Treaty of Paris as a British betrayal . The American colonists were disappointed by the protection of Roman Catholicism in the Treaty of Paris because of their own strong Protestant faith . Some have pointed to this as one reason for the breakdown of American – British relations . Effects on French Canada . The article provided for unrestrained emigration for 18 months from Canada . However , passage of British ships was expensive . A total of 1600 people left New France through the Treaty clause , but only 270 French - Canadians . Some have claimed that this was part of British policy to limit emigration . Article IV of the treaty allowed Roman Catholicism to be practiced in Canada . [ [ George III of the United Kingdom | George III ] ] agreed to allow Catholicism within the laws of Great Britain . In this period , British laws included various [ [ Test Act ] ] s to prevent governmental , judicial , and bureaucratic appointments from going to Roman Catholics . Roman Catholics were believed to be agents of the Jacobite Pretenders to the throne , who normally resided in France supported by the French regime . This was relaxed in Quebec to some degree , but top positions like governorships were still held by Anglicans . Article IV has also been cited as the basis for Quebec often having its unique set of laws that are different from the rest of Canada . There was a general constitutional principle in the United Kingdom to allow colonies taken through conquest to continue their own laws . This was limited by [ [ royal prerogative ] ] , and the monarch could still choose to change the accepted laws in a conquered colony . However , the treaty eliminated this power because by a different constitutional principle , terms of a treaty were considered paramount . In practice , Roman Catholics could become jurors in inferior courts in Quebec and argue based on principles of French law . However , the judge was British and his opinion on French law could be limited or hostile . If the case was appealed to a superior court , neither French law nor Roman Catholic jurors were allowed . Many French residents of what are now Canada ' s Maritime provinces , called Acadians , were deported during the [ [ Expulsion of the Acadians | Great Expulsion ] ] ( 1755 – 63 ) . After the signing of the peace treaty guaranteed some rights to Roman Catholics , some Acadians returned to Canada . However , they were no longer welcome in English Nova Scotia . They were forced into New Brunswick , which is a bilingual province today as a result of that relocation . The French people of Quebec felt great betrayal at the French concession . Commander - in - Chief of the British [ [ Jeffery Amherst , 1st Baron Amherst | Jeffrey Amherst ] ] noted that , “ Many of the Canadians consider their Colony to be of utmost consequence to France & cannot be convinced . . . that their Country has been conceded to Great Britain ” . External links . 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