Use the excerpt from the 1733 Molasses Act to answer the question.
Laws like the Molasses Act in the excerpt caused many colonists to respond by
A. reluctantly obeying the laws, causing high levels of poverty and scarcity.
B. vigorously protesting the laws, organizing revolts that ended unity.
C. ignoring the laws, leading to a profitable system of smuggling.
D. petitioning for a change to the laws, strengthening the local government.
To answer this question, we need to analyze the excerpt from the 1733 Molasses Act. Unfortunately, the excerpt is not provided, so we cannot directly refer to it. However, we can provide some historical context to help answer the question.
The Molasses Act was a law passed by the British Parliament to impose a tax on molasses and sugar imported into the American colonies from non-British colonies. It was intended to protect British sugar producers in the West Indies from competition. However, the act was widely ignored and evaded by American colonists due to the high tax rates imposed.
Given this information, we can eliminate options A and D. The Molasses Act's high tax rates and the widespread evasion by colonists indicate that they did not reluctantly obey the laws or petition for a change to the laws.
Option B states that colonists vigorously protested the laws, organizing revolts that ended unity. While there were protests against the Molasses Act and other unpopular British policies, it is unclear whether these protests specifically caused the end of unity among the colonists.
Option C suggests that colonists ignored the laws, leading to a profitable system of smuggling. This option aligns with historical evidence as the Molasses Act was widely ignored, and smuggling became prevalent, allowing colonists to bypass the high taxes and continue their trade with non-British colonies.
Therefore, the most likely answer to the question is C. Colonists responded to laws like the Molasses Act by ignoring them, leading to a profitable system of smuggling.