What did the Molasses Act do to the colonists?
Molasses Act, (1733), in American colonial history, a British law that imposed a tax on molasses, sugar, and rum imported from non-British foreign colonies into the North American colonies. (The practice of bribing customs officials to allow the import of cheaper French rum became common.)
Why was the Sugar Act important to the colonists?
Sugar Act, also called Plantation Act or Revenue Act, (1764), in U.S. colonial history, British legislation aimed at ending the smuggling trade in sugar and molasses from the French and Dutch West Indies and at providing increased revenues to fund enlarged British Empire responsibilities following the French and Indian …
What was molasses used for?
The lighter grades of molasses made from sugarcane are edible and are used in baking and candy-making and to make rum. Blackstrap and other low grades of cane molasses are used in mixed animal feed and in the industrial production of vinegar, citric acid, and other products.
Why was molasses so valuable?
Molasses was important in triangular trade. In the triangular trade, slave traders from New England would bring rum to Africa, and in return, they would purchase enslaved Africans. The enslaved cargo was then brought to the West Indies and sold to sugarcane plantations to harvest the sugar for molasses.
What was molasses used for in 1919?
Its sugary-sweet contents were the property of United States Industrial Alcohol, which took regular shipments of molasses from the Caribbean and used them to produce alcohol for liquor and munitions manufacturing. …
What is the history of molasses?
Molasses History The English term molasses comes from the Portuguese melaço which in turn is derived from the Latin mel, meaning honey. Melasus (sic) was first seen in print in 1582 in a Portuguese book heralding the conquest of the West Indies. Molasses was exported to the U.S. from the West Indies to make rum.
Why was molasses such an important product to colonists in the 18th century?
What was the purpose of the Molasses Act?
Written By: Molasses Act, (1733), in American colonial history, a British law that imposed a tax on molasses, sugar, and rum imported from non-British foreign colonies into the North American colonies.
Where was molasses made in the Revolutionary War?
Molasses was produced in the British islands of Barbados, Antigua and Jamaica, but was also produced in the French West Indian islands of Martinique, Guadeloupe and Santo Domingo (now Haiti), as well as other Dutch, Spanish and Portuguese colonies.
How did the Sugar Act affect New England?
Had the act been systematically enforced, New England’s economy likely would have been crippled. The act was later amended by the Sugar Act of 1764, which became an irritant contributing to the American Revolution.
