MOLASSES ACT (1733). An Act for the better securing and encouraging the Trade of His Majesty's Sugar Colonies in America.

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Folio (11.25 inches). 6 George II, Chapter 13. General title leaf + pages 283-290 + conjugate blank leaf. Woodcut Royal coat of arms and decorative initial. Text in Black Letter. Neatly extracted from a bound volume and expertly mended. This Act, known as the Molasses Act, 1733, imposed a tax of six pence per gallon of molasses imported into North American colonies from non-British colonies. The aim of the law was to preserve a monopoly over the American market for the British West Indies sugar cane growers, who could not otherwise compete with lower-priced French and other foreign colonial sugar producers. American colonists argued that British West Indian growers alone were not able to produce enough molasses to meet the needs of American manufacturers. Rum distilling was one of the leading industries in New England, and the Act had the effect of raising the price of molasses. The ultimate effect was an increased cost in the price of rum manufactured in New England, thereby reducing the economic viability of exporting the product. But the Act was largely ineffective as the rules were circumvented through widespread smuggling activities and bribery of customs officials to turn a blind eye to foreign molasses imports. The Act was later amended by the Sugar Act, 1764 which was one of the first irritant laws that contributed to the American Revolution. N° de ref. del artículo 239

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