Just eight months after signing the Treaty of Paris in 1763, securing ownership of territory east of the Mississippi River on the American continent, Britain began to alienate the American colonists by signing the Proclamation Act of 1763. Little did the British know that this act was the first in a series of actions over the next thirteen years that would lead the American colonists to fight for a nation independent of Great Britain. During the Seven Years' War (French and Indian War), the colonies were quite independent and self-governing. The Proclamation Act of 1763 was one of the first mandates imposed by the British Parliament on the American colonists. The act created an invisible border along the Appalachian Mountains that American colonists could not cross without permission from the British government. The goal was to limit westward immigration until new agreements could be made with the Native Americans, with whom Britain wanted to prevent another war, and to protect business ventures such as the fur trade. This restriction came as a surprise to the American colonists, who believed they deserved to settle on this land after winning the war. To add insult to injury, the British Parliament, which was suffering from a huge debt due to the fight against the French, decided to tax the colonists to recover their expenses. The Sugar Act of 1764, also known as the Revenue Act, was the British Parliament's first attempt to collect revenue from the colonists. This act was basically a tax on trade – items that were brought into the colonies including: sugar, tea, coffee, wine, etc. The law also allowed British officials, without court approval, to take goods they deemed complacent. .... half of the paper ...... denounced the “Intolerable” Acts and affirmed their Declaration of Rights and Grievances; an exercise that ultimately laid the groundwork for the Declaration of Independence. What began with a series of acts that may initially have seemed reasonable on the part of the English led to an idea; an idea that America deserved to be a nation independent of outside domination. A small rebellion against taxation and loss of power turned into a full-blown revolution known today as the American Revolution; forever changing the course of history. Works Cited Joyce, Appleby, et al. "The American Revolution". The American vision. New York: McGraw Hill Glencoe, 2005. 114-126. Print.Neumann, Darlene and Betty Duffy. "American Revolution: Quotations." Voices of the American Revolution. Sherwin School / Think Quest and Web. October 3. 2011. .