Sugar Act

noun

, American History.

1. a law passed by the British Parliament in 1764 raising duties on foreign refined sugar imported by the colonies so as to give British sugar growers in the West Indies a monopoly on the colonial market.

Example Sentences

Later, in 1764, as tensions between Great Britain and the American colonists increased to an even greater degree, the English parliament passed the Sugar Act.

From Literature

The Sugar Act actually reduced the Molasses Act tax by half, but this time the British government intended to strongly enforce the new measure.

From Literature

The industry gained an even greater boost with the passage of the 1934 Sugar Act, which labeled its product a “staple commodity,” alongside goods like wheat, cotton, pork and milk, and resulted in heavy government subsidies.

From Time

Amid these concerns, the Sugar Act was coming up for renewal in Congress.

From Slate

Now called the Sugar Act, the law was designed to make sure the American colonists stopped smuggling and paid their sugar tax.

From Literature