The American Revenue Act, passed by the British Parliament in April 1764, formally updated the unenforced Sugar Act or Molasses Act of 1733. The American colonists objected to the act as “taxation without representation”, since their delegates sat in the colonial legislatures, and not in Parliament. The Chancellor of the Exchequer and Prime Minister, Lord Grenville, was trying to bring the colonists in line with regard to the payment of taxes because of Britain's large national debt. It was the first attempt to recoup the costs of the French and Indian War (1754-63; see separate entry) and the costs of maintaining British troops in North America, necessary because of insurgence from displaced Native Americans. The effect of the Act was to sharply reduce the colonists' trade with the…

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Citation: Seager, Nicholas. "The American Revenue Act - Molasses Act / Sugar Act amended to tax American Colonies". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 03 February 2005 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=1073, accessed 26 November 2024.]