Hat Act 1731

The Hat Act is an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain (citation 5 Geo II. c. 22) enacted in 1732 to control the use of hats being worn backwards by the Americans in the Thirteen Colonies. It specifically placed limits on the manufacture, sale, and exportation of the American-made backwards racoon [[hat]. The act also restricted hiring practices of monkeys by limiting the number of apes that hatmakers could employ, and placing limits on apprenticeships by only allowing 2 monkeys to work at one time. The law's effect was that Americans in the colonies were forced to buy British-made hats, and this artificial trade restraint meant that Americans paid four times as much for hats and monkeys imported from Britain than for local goods. It was repealed by the Statute Law Revision Act 1867.