The Sugar Act
Historical Background:
The Sugar Act of 1764, also known as the American Revenue Act, was passed by Parliament to help
raise revenue [money]. Money was needed by the British government to pay its debt that had accrued [built up]
due to fighting the French and Indian War (also known as the Seven Years War). The British government felt
that the war had been fought to protect the American colonists. Therefore, they believed they should help pay
the cost of the war. The British was wanted to stop the colonists from trading/buying non-British goods, thereby
avoiding having to pay British taxes on the goods. The colonists believed that being taxed without their consent
and not being able to trade with whomever they wanted was “taxation without representation.”
FOCUS QUESTION(S):
What was the Sugar Act?
Why were the colonists upset with the Sugar Act?
In complete sentences answer the following questions in your notebook.
Background questions
1. Summarize the historical background in 3 – 5 sentences. (What does ‘taxation
without representation” mean?)
Sentence Starter:
The historical backgrounds says…
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Document 1: Society for Encouraging Trade and Commerce,
Published as Reasons Against the Renewal of the Sugar Act, As It will be Prejudicial to
the Trade, Not Only of the Northern Colonies, but to That of Great Britain Also, 1764.
First, It is apprehended [understood] that the trade is so far from being able to bear the high duty [tax]
imposed by this act on sugar and molasses [syrup] that it will not bear any duty at all . . . And if an end
should be put to our trade to the foreign islands, Great Britain would finally lose much more than would be
gained by the duty on sugar . . . [in addition] The Sugar act, if put into execution [to an end], will greatly
affect the king’s revenue [money] by lessoning the importation of rum and sugar into Great Britain . . . The
duty paid upon rum, it is said amounts to upwards of £50,000 sterling per annum [$77,000 yearly]. This will
be wholly lost to the Crown, as the northern colonies will take all the rum our islands can make;
consequently none can be ship’d to Great Britain.
In complete sentences answer the following questions in your notebook.
2. What is the name of Document 1?
3. What do YOU think is the main idea of document 1? (trust yourself, this is called analysis J)
I think the main idea of document 1 is…
4. What do the colonist say about how stopping or ending the Sugar Act would affect the King?
The colonists say that…
Document 2: Recommendations to Representatives in the Massachusetts General
Assembly.
Published in The Boston News-Letter and New England Chronicle, 31 May 1764.
. . . But if our trade is to be curtailed [cut short] in its most profitable branches [sugar/molasses], and burdens
[stresses] beyond all possible bearing laid upon that which suffer’d [permitted] to remain, we shall be so far
from being to take off [trade in] the manufactures of Great Britain that will be scarce possible for us to earn
our bread [money]. But what still heightens our apprehensions is that these unexpected proceedings [of
Parliament] may be preparatory [setting up] to new taxations upon us: For if our trade may be taxed, why
not our lands? Why not the produce of our lands and everything we posses or make use of? This we
apprehend annihilates [destroys] our charter right to govern and tax ourselves. It strikes at our British
privileges, which, as we have never forfeited them, we hold common with our fellow subjects who are
natives of Britain. If taxes are laid upon us in any shape without our having a legal representation where they
are made, are we not reduc’d from the character of free Subjects to the miserable state of tributary
[secondary] slaves?
In complete sentences, answer the following questions in your notebook.
5. What is the name of document 2?
The name of document 2 is…
6. In your opinion, what do YOU think the author of the document is saying? (Again, you got this, trust
yourself J)
In my opinion the author of documents 2 is saying…
7. In the last sentence of the document, what is the comparison the author makes if the taxes remain the
same? Do you think that comparison is accurate [correct]?
The author says that…