Equal Protection and Race........................................................................................................ 1839. Overview..............................................................................................................................
Sugar cane plantations in the colonies of the West Indies. The older Sugar and Molasses tax charged the customer a duty of 6 pence per gallon of molasses. The bribe to customs officials per gallon of smuggled molasses was 1.5p. The new Sugar Act lowered the duty to 3p per gallon.
The Sugar Act was passed by the Parliament of Great Britain in 1764 and was one of many Acts that aimed to raise money from citizens living in the British colonies. The Act contributed to the start of the American Revolution. See the fact file below for more information on the Sugar Act: