Sugar Act Dbq Essay

After the French and Indian War in 1763, economic elements forced Britain to feel the need to raise funds to pay off the war debt. The policies that were enforced by the new prime minister resulted in America's fight for independence. Some of the taxed imposed upon the colonies included the Sugar Act, the Stamp Act and the Tea Act. All three of these acts forced the Americans to pay a tax on everyday goods. Americans viewed the new tax on sugar and other imports as a burden and violation of their rights, for the British, the taxes were a modest imposition necessary to pay for the cost of eliminating the French from North America and administering the colonies (Keene, 101-102).

The sugar act started in 1764. “April,5 1764... A new law passed called the Sugar and Molasses Act. Colonial merchants...were required to pay tax of six-pence…” All molasses was imported. Most of the colonist tried to buy french molasses and sugar at a cheaper price.

Many events occurred in the year 1764, including the Sugar Act, an Act meant to better enforce British trade laws, the Currency Act, and James Otis’s “taxation without representation,” which led to a boycott of British goods. The Sugar Act was passed as a result of Britain’s war with France, and the debt it caused. The Act was supposed to help pay for the defense of the colonies as well as the newly acquired territories. The Act increased the taxes on imported sugar, and other items like textiles, coffee, wines, and indigo dye.

After America’s Declaration of Independence asserted in 1776, were radical notions for those who had grown up in a society that was ruled but a king and that enthusiastically embraced the idea of aristocracy. “The first step in Grenville’s new program was the Revenue Act (1764), popularly known as the Sugar Act” (Keene, Page 98). But, this Act violated two longheld beliefs. Also, required colonists to purchase special stamps for everything from newspapers to playing cards.

The Sugar Act caused alarm in the American colonies because of the expected economic disadvantages, and its difficult implementation in all thirteen colonies. Added to this was a general post-war depression that affected the colonies. It was this combination of factors which provided the background for the oppositional activities. One of the steps taken, was to threat with a boycott all of English products. Meanwhile rumors of a possible new act which was being prepared by the British added to the growing tension in the American

Britain needed a way to fix this. They came up with the Sugar Act, a set of taxes to help Britain raise money. Taxes were not a new thing for the colonists, but these new taxes caused big issues. The Sugar Act was suggested by Prime Minister George Greenville.

Under the Molasses Act colonial merchants had been required to pay a tax of sixpence per gallon on the importation of foreign molasses. The Sugar Act reduced the rate of tax on molasses from six pence to three pence per gallon, while Grenville took measures that the duty be strictly enforced. The act also listed more foreign goods to be taxed including sugar, certain wines, coffee, pimiento, cambric and printed calico, and further, regulated the export of lumber and iron. This act, and the Currency Act, set the stage for the revolt at the imposition of the Stamp

The Sugar Act, was made to try and stop the smuggling of sugar and molasses. This tax was given to the people to help settle the debt of the war, and it started an argument of “taxation without representation”. This dispute helped spread the idea of breaking

The chokehold sugar had on the economy and the fear of losing revenue allowed the sugar trade to continue freely, which in turn laid the

The act that most likely angered the colonists the least was the Sugar Act. This act required the price of

In result, economic changes would come to the colonies. Parliament met in 1763 and came to the conclusion that they were not receiving the profit they needed from the colonies (Document F). As a result, many taxes were passed by British Parliament upon the colonies, including the Sugar Act, the Stamp Act (Document H) and the Tea Act. The American colonies were not happy, to say the least. Americans protested, saying that these taxes were unnecessary and unfair.

This act required that many documents such as licenses, diplomas, contracts and even playing cards to be printed on embossed paper that had a tax on it. This act was the very first attempt to tax the colonists directly for activities that occurred solely with the colonies themselves. After the French and Indian War the British national debt skyrocketed and the Prime Minister was eager to pay it down before the government was bankrupted.

After the French and Indian War, Britain was in debt. King George III decided it was a grand idea to tax the colonies to help repay his debt. He implemented several different Acts on the colonies. The Sugar Act, in 1764, was the first form of taxation and it wasn’t just on sugar. This brought about the first saying of “No taxation without representation”.

The colonists wanted representation when it came down to being taxed, but the British government would not allow it. The government wanted full control over the people, so they made sets of acts and laws that were placed on taxation. For example, the Stamp Acts of 1765. These acts taxed all papers, pamphlets, newspapers, and cards. The Townshend Acts of 1767 were also a large part of taxation.

The act was established to raise income to help pay for the protection of North America; it ended the exclusion of colonial commerce from revenue-raising processes. The Sugar Act immensely complicated the obligations for