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This act lowered a tax on a sweetener but also contained a clause that allowed search and seizure of smuggled goods without going to court?

A) The Intangible Act
B) The Sugar Act
C) The Townshend Act
D) The Quartering Act

User Jesse Q
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Final answer:

The act lowerening the tax on a sweetener and expanding search and seizure authorities was the Sugar Act, which also shifted enforcement to vice-admiralty courts without juries. Option B is correct.

Step-by-step explanation:

The act that lowered a tax on sweetener but also contained a clause that allowed for the search and seizure of smuggled goods without going to court is the Sugar Act. Drafted by George Grenville, it replaced and lowered the taxes on imported sugar set by the Molasses Act of 1733.

The Sugar Act aimed to cut British taxes on molasses to reduce the incentive for smuggling, as illegal trade with the French sugar islands was rampant. However, this act included increased enforcement provisions: trials for violators would take place in vice-admiralty courts, which did not use juries and were governed directly by the crown.

This aspect of the Sugar Act was perceived by some colonists as an erosion of their rights, equating the deprivation of a jury trial to political slavery.

The act that lowered a tax on a sweetener but also contained a clause that allowed search and seizure of smuggled goods without going to court is the Sugar Act. The Sugar Act was enacted in 1764 by the British Parliament to replace and lower the taxes on imported sugar that had been imposed by the Molasses Act of 1733.

It aimed to address the issue of rampant colonial smuggling and generate revenue for the British Empire. Additionally, the Sugar Act increased the powers of the Admiralty Courts, which could seize smuggled goods without the need for a trial.

User Crankparty
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