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Molasses Act
The Molasses Act was made to protect British West Indies exports and form a better trade barrier. This act put a tax on imports of molasses from non-English colonies. The colonists saw this tax of 6 pence as unnecessary and unfair. The British were only trying to protect there exports and were not happy with the colonists reaction. -
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Revenue Acts
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Sugar Act
Parliament passed the Sugar Act as a modified version of the previous Molasses Act. This act put a tax on each import of sugar just like the Molasses Act. The colonists did not react well to this act because of how strictly enforced it was. The British desired to have more people to buy sugar from the British colonies instead of the French. They were continually harsh as colonists tried to fight back. -
Currency Act
The Currency Act prohibited new bills of credit by New England colonies. Parliament enacted the Currency Act to save the value of payments to the British merchants. The colonist did not want the British to assume control over their currency system. The British disagreed, and this act became one of many that led to the American Revolution. -
Stamp Act
The Stamp Act was made to raise revenue by requiring the purchase of stamps to be placed on all public documents.The British put a tax on the colonists to raise revenue and several colonists were very opposed to this new idea. They saw the Stamp Act as threatening to their basic rights. The British had intent to raise revenue and they saw the colonists as annoying and weak when they complained about it. -
Townshend Acts
The Townshend Acts were a series of laws and taxes put upon the colonists. The Townshend Revenue Act placed a tax on glass, paint, oil, lead, paper, and tea. The colonists had an extremely angry reaction to theses harsh taxes. The English later decided to cut the British land taxes to create a balance. The British, as always, were satisfied while the colonists revolted. -
Tea Act
The Tea Act was passed by Parliament to create a monopoly for the East India Tea Companies. It was not meant for raising revenue from the colonies. The British thought that the colonists would be okay since it made the price of tea go down. The colonists were most upset about the monopoly that was being set up. When the Boston Tea Party occurred the British were shocked and outraged.
