Question

What was the purpose of the Navigation Acts?

Answer 1

Hint: These acts were passed by the English Parliament. It provoked the hostilities of American colonies and was an important event that contributed to leading up to the American Revolution.

Complete answer:
In 1642, a civil war began in Great Britain and the supply lines between North America and Britain were disrupted. Hence, the Americans established trade relations with the Netherlands and France. As the civil war died out, the British tried to reestablish control over the American colonial trades.

The First Navigation Act was passed in 1651, by the British Parliament. It declared that only British ships would be allowed to carry goods into Britain. It also stated that the American colonies would export its commodities like sugar and tobacco only to Britain. It prevented the North American colonies from carrying out trade with other European countries, and later other acts were passed to increase further limitations and custom duties.

This agitated the North Americans who were negatively affected by the Navigation Acts. These included people like manufacturers and merchants; tobacco, rice and sugar planters, artisans, mechanics etc. The enactment of the Navigation Acts contributed significantly to the increasing anti-British attitude of the Americans and soon the eventual outbreak of the American Revolution.

Thus, we can conclude by saying that the Navigation Acts were passed to restrict Americans from trading with any other European country except Britain. Thus, Britain could establish its monopoly and increase its overall income.

Note: This act of the British Parliament is often referred to as an act of Mercantilism. It was an economic theory that proposed that the government could bring about regulations to enhance the power of the state. It also formed a triangular trade between America, Britain and Africa. Slaves were transported from Africa to America, raw materials were transported from America to Britain and manufactured goods from Britain to America.