1733-May-17: The British Parliament passed the Molasses Act in an attempt to protect British West Indian planters from French competition.

1733-May-17: The British Parliament passed the Molasses Act in an attempt to protect British West Indian planters from French competition. The law sought to levy high duties on molasses imported from the French West Indies to force North American colonists to purchase from British islands. Despite these legal measures, smuggling and contraband trade between the American colonies and Saint-Domingue continued to flourish. North American merchants found the French product to be both cheaper and more readily available than that of the British colonies. Logan notes that this illicit trade continued even during times of war, proving the resilience of the economic bond between the two regions.