The Sugar Act and Stamp Act Fact File |
| | Facts about the similarities and differences between the Sugar Act and Stamp Act |
| Facts | The Stamp Act | | The Sugar Act |
| Fact 1 | The year the British Stamp Act was passed 1765. The Stamp Act called for the taxing of 54 separate items
| | The year the British Sugar Tax was passed was 1764. |
| Fact 2 | The Stamp Act was a British Law, passed by the Parliament of Great Britain
| | The Sugar Tax was a British Law, passed by the Parliament of Great Britain |
| Fact 3 | The Stamp Act was passed during the reign of King George III
| | The Sugar Tax was passed during the reign of King George III |
| Fact 4 | The Stamp Act was instigated by the British government led by Lord Grenville
| | The Sugar Tax was instigated by the British government led by Lord Grenville |
| Fact 5 | The Stamp Act was designed to was designed to raise revenue from all of the American colonists
| | The Sugar Tax was designed to raise revenue primarily from the New England colonies |
| Fact 6 | Documents taxed included newspapers, liquor licences, legal documents, calendars. almanacs, certificates, diplomas, contracts, wills, pamphlets, Bills of Sale and Licences
| | Sugar and molasses were taxed (impacting the manufacture of rum). Foreign imports of goods to the colonies were taxed including wines, coffee, cambric and printed calico. Timber and iron were included in the products that could be traded only with England
|
| Fact 7 | The documents were not merchandise and required different rates of Stamp Act ranging from ½ penny up to £10.
| | Taxes were set at standard rates per item of merchandise |
| Fact 8 | The Stamp Act was the first direct tax on domestically produced and consumed items
| | The Sugar Tax was aimed at regulating trade and commerce |
| Fact 9 | The French and Indian War was a victory for the British but they were left with a massive war debt of 130 million pounds. One of the reasons the Stamp Act was introduced was to clear the war debt, the other was to finance British troops in the colonies
| | The same reasons |
| Fact 10 | The Stamp Act Stamps had to be paid with 'hard currency' (silver or gold coins) and not in paper money, which was the most common form of payment in the colonies - also refer to Colonial, Continental and Revolutionary Currency
| | Merchandise was traded rather than bought and sold. The premise of Triangular Trade was that the different regions would trade goods that they had in abundance in exchange for those goods which were scarce in their own region
|
| Fact 11 | There was no Trial by Jury for anyone who offended the Stamp Act - cases were heard in the Admiralty Courts. There was no trial by jury in the Admiralty Courts. Cases were decided by judges rather than juries. All colonists were involved
| | British admiralty courts were used for tax violators, smugglers and for the seizure of cargoes violating the new rules. The Act gave customs agents more power and latitude with respect to executing seizures and enforcing customs law - the majority of colonists would not have been involved
|
| Fact 12 | The colonists violent, widespread, reaction to the Stamp Act came as a great surprise to the British government and also to the Americans
| | The Sugar Tax was received with limited protests from specific sections in the colonies - the colonists had accepted and become accustomed, to a limited degree, to the British regulation of trade and taxes
|
| Fact 13 | The colonists believed that the Stamp Act was a deliberate attempt to reduce their authority in the internal government of the colonies
| | The Sugar Tax was viewed as a tax relating to trade and commerce and not directly related to the internal affairs of the colonies |
| Fact 14 | The Stamp Act was introduced by a direct order from Britain without approval of the colonial legislature
| | The same for the Sugar Tax |
| Fact 15 | The law united the colonists in New England, the Middle and the Southern colonies - the Stamp Act effected every colonist, unlike previous taxes
| | The colonists were not united in their protests |
| Fact 16 | The high taxes on lawyers and college students were designed to limit the growth of a professional class in the American colonies
| | Professional people were not targeted by the tax |
| Fact 17 | Young, well educated, hot-headed students felt particularly aggrieved by the Act and as with all young men enjoyed the excitement of the protests
| | Students were not effected by the law |
| Fact 18 | The Stamp Act led to the first concerted effort by the American colonists to resist the British Parliament and the authority of Great Britain and the creation of resistance groups such as the Sons of Liberty
| | No real efforts were made to resist the British Parliament |
| Fact 19 | Opposition to the Act was led by the most influential and persuasive segments of colonial society. These men were most affected by the Act and included lawyers, publishers, clergymen, journalists, land owners, ship builders and merchants
| | There were no leaders who were united against the Sugar Act |
| Fact 20 | The Stamp Act led to outrage, anger, resentment, protests, dissension and ultimately to the American Revolutionary War and the Declaration of Independence from Great Britain.
| | The Sugar Act was initially greeted quietly - but added fuel to the fire of revolution |
| Facts | Facts about the similarities and differences between the Sugar Act and Stamp Act |
The Sugar Act and Stamp Act Fact File |
