Sugar Act Definition

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Sugar Act
The Parliament of Great Britain passed The Sugar Act on April 5, 1764. It was created so that they could collect revenue from the British colonies and from America. Imported sugar and molasses were taxed. This negatively affected New England’s rum production.
Sugar Act Definition (h2)
In the 1700s it was highly lucrative to manufacture rum and this would mean great profits for Britain via taxation. Consequently they decided to create the Sugar Act and enforce it in their colonies. Sugar is used to make molasses and in turn, molasses is used to make rum. Sugar is grown on the West Indian sugar plantations. The Molasses Act has it is known, was entrenched in The Navigation Act of 1733. Therefore the significance of the Sugar Act is
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British admiralty courts were established and a judge ruled over all presiding concerning trade violations. These cases were no longer escalated to the colonial courts. During this time a lot of traders who previously existed, now because violators of the law. Therefore the hidden purpose of the Sugar Act was to shut down any other trade routes outside of those for the British maritime trade. That meant trade routes from the Spanish, the French and the Dutch colonies to New England. Any violators saw their goods seized and the full arm of the law at their …show more content…
The term American Revenue Act can also be used interchanging for the Sugar Act or the American Duties Act. During 1607-1763, the Salutary Neglect was an English policy that existed. It allowed many violations of the sugar laws, whether through smuggling or bribing customs officials.
There was much resentment on the side of the colonists in the West Indies and America. They had huge financial disadvantages, because of the Sugar Act. Many agreed that the effect of the Sugar Act was detrimental to all the colonies. Revolts and uprisings occurred as the seeds of dissension were sown and widespread. In terms of the colonist’s reaction to the Sugar Act, Colonial America was on the brink of revolt, but the sugar laws were more heavily enforced in the West Indies and more meticulously imposed. Eventually America got their independence from British rule after Declaration of Independence from Great Britain and American Revolutionary War

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