AP European History
The Navigation Acts were a series of laws enacted by the English Parliament in the 17th century to regulate colonial trade and enable England to collect taxes from its colonies. These acts were designed to promote mercantilism by restricting colonial trade to English ships and mandating that certain goods produced in the colonies could only be exported to England or other English colonies. This regulatory framework played a crucial role in shaping economic development, colonial rivalries, and Britain's dominance in global markets.