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American importers were not paying the excessively high duty that had been placed on Sugar (molasses) by the Molasses Act of 1733. They found it cheaper to pay bribes of a penny or so per gallon, to the customs collectors. When George Grenville became Prime Minister, he had Parliament overhaul the old act with a new Sugar Act, 1764. The new act lowered the tax on sugar entering the colonies, but it also created a new system for enforcing the act, making sure that the lowered duties would be collected. In New England, where molasses was a major trade item used in making various drinks as well as a sweetener, there was immediate concern. A Boston town meeting declared that the city would boycott (not purchase) all British imports to that colony. Other New England cities, including New York, followed Boston’s lead.

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16y ago

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