Navigation Acts

E22498

The Navigation Acts were a series of 17th-century English laws that regulated colonial trade to strengthen national shipping and ensure that commerce with the colonies benefited England.


Statements (50)
Predicate Object
instanceOf English legislation
mercantilist trade law
appliesTo British Empire
English colonies
cotton trade
indigo trade
molasses trade
naval stores
rice trade
sugar trade
tobacco trade
country England
defines enumerated commodities
endTime 1849
enforcedBy Admiralty courts
English customs officials
followedBy repeal of the Corn Laws
shift toward free trade in Britain
hasEffect development of triangular trade
growth of English merchant marine
increased dependence of colonies on English markets
restriction of colonial manufacturing
smuggling in American colonies
strengthening of Royal Navy supply base
tension between colonies and England
hasPart Navigation Act 1651
Navigation Act 1660
Navigation Act 1663
Navigation Act 1673
Navigation Act 1696
influenced causes of the American Revolution
economic policy of the Thirteen Colonies
influencedBy mercantilist economic theory
legalStatus repealed
mainSubject colonial trade
maritime trade regulation
purpose to enforce mercantilism
to ensure colonial trade benefited England
to promote English shipping
to restrict foreign competition in colonial trade
regulates export of goods from English colonies
import of goods into English colonies
use of ships in imperial trade
requires English crews on ships engaged in colonial trade
certain goods to be shipped only to England or English colonies
use of English or colonial ships for trade with colonies
significantEvent Navigation Act of 1651 targeting Dutch shipping
Navigation Act of 1660 after the Restoration of Charles II
Navigation Act of 1696 strengthening enforcement mechanisms
startTime 1651

Referenced by (3)

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