Question

What was one difficulty associated with the Sugar Act of 1764?

a. Colonists worried whether the government could protect them from natives with only half its revenue.
b. Colonists had a difficult time coming up with the precious metals required by the act.
c. Colonists felt that vice-admiralty courts violated the English Bill of Rights.
d. Colonists played a relatively small role in the molasses trade but assumed most of the cost.

Answer 1

The Sugar Act of 1764 presented difficulties including the violation of colonists' rights to a jury trial through the implementation of vice-admiralty courts and concerns over taxation without representation.

Step-by-step explanation:

The correct option is C:

One notable difficulty associated with the Sugar Act of 1764 was that colonists felt the vice-admiralty courts violated the English Bill of Rights by denying them the right to a jury trial. The Sugar Act required violators to be tried in these courts, which operated without juries, prompting concerns over the loss of fundamental English liberties and the perception of being reduced to political slavery.

Additionally, while the Sugar Act lowered the tariff on sugar to reduce smuggling, it increased enforcement powers and ended the profitable sugar and slave trade with the West Indies. This not only shifted the financial burden onto the colonists but also sparked fears over taxation without representation, as the act appeared to violate the principle of being taxed only by one's own elected representatives.