One of the first taxation that the British passed through parliament was the Sugar Act in 1764. The sugar trade between the colonies and the French and Spanish West Indies had been very profitable for the colonies. This act made the tax on sugar from the French and Spanish West Indies much higher than it would be from the British West Indies. The British hoped that by enforcing the Sugar Act the colonies would buy from the British Islands or pay the tax. The customs officials were even given more power. They were expected to inflict the tax on sugar throughout the colonies as they had not done before. The colonists felt that these restrictions and those that followed violated their colonial charters and their rights as Englishmen. They
