Sugar Act 1764

E41670

The Sugar Act of 1764 was a British revenue-raising law that tightened customs enforcement and imposed duties on sugar and molasses in the American colonies, contributing to growing colonial resentment before the American Revolution.

All labels observed (5)

Label Occurrences
Sugar Act 1764 canonical 8
American Duties Act 1764 1
American Revenue Act of 1764 1

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (49)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Act of Parliament of Great Britain
British revenue act
colonial trade law
appliedTo British America
surface form: British American colonies

New England Colonies
surface form: New England colonies
authorized vice-admiralty courts without juries
contributedTo colonial resentment toward British taxation
ideological origins of the American Revolution
countryOfOrigin Kingdom of Great Britain
criticizedBy James Otis Jr.
Massachusetts colonial legislature
surface form: Massachusetts colonial assembly

Samuel Adams
criticizedFor taxation without representation
dateEnacted 1764-04-05
fiscalPurpose raise revenue from American colonies
reduce British national debt after Seven Years' War
hasOfficialName Sugar Act 1764 self-linksurface differs
surface form: American Revenue Act of 1764
hasShortName Sugar Act 1764 self-linksurface differs
surface form: Sugar Act
historicalPeriod prelude to the American Revolution
imposedDutyOn cambric
certain wines
coffee
foreign rum
indigo
molasses
pimento
printed calicoes
sugar
textiles
introducedConcept taxation for revenue rather than regulation
legislativeBody Parliament of Great Britain
majorImpactOn New England rum industry
colonial shipping
triangular trade
partOf British imperial reforms after Seven Years' War
policyGoal regulate trade with French and Spanish West Indies
tighten customs enforcement in American colonies
precededBy Molasses Act 1733
reducedDutyRateOn foreign molasses
foreign sugar
relatedTo Stamp Act 1765
Townshend Acts (tea tax component)
surface form: Townshend Acts
repealed 1766
repealedBy Revenue Act 1766
restricted colonial trade with non-British Caribbean colonies
signedBy George III of the United Kingdom
surface form: King George III
strengthened customs enforcement mechanisms
tookEffectOn 1764-09-29
yearEnacted 1764

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (12)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Stamp Act 1765 follows Sugar Act 1764
Sugar Act 1764 hasOfficialName Sugar Act 1764 self-linksurface differs
this entity surface form: American Revenue Act of 1764
Sugar Act 1764 hasShortName Sugar Act 1764 self-linksurface differs
this entity surface form: Sugar Act
George Grenville notableWork Sugar Act 1764
George Grenville notableWork Sugar Act 1764
this entity surface form: American Duties Act 1764
Navigation Acts (England) reformedBy Sugar Act 1764
New England rum industry affectedBy Sugar Act 1764
this entity surface form: Sugar Act of 1764
Revenue Act 1766 follows Sugar Act 1764
Molasses Act 1733 followedBy Sugar Act 1764
Molasses Act 1733 replacedBy Sugar Act 1764