Types of Courts.

The English legal system had several different sets of courts, each with its own rules of procedure and each dealing with a particular range of subjects. Most civil suits and criminal prosecutions were conducted in common-law courts, with trial by jury. These were familiar to many people in the colonies, as they sat in most places; other more-specialized courts with no juries were less well known. Admiralty courts handled controversies relating to maritime commerce, seamen's wages, and violations of the trade and navigation laws. Until the late 1760s there was only one admiralty court for the American colonies, and it sat in Halifax, Nova Scotia. It had little impact outside the area of international trade or shipboard controversies. However, this court became a focal point in the developing conflict between the colonies and Britain.

Sugar Act.

The Sugar Act of...