NAVIGATION ACTSFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaJump to: navigation, search Wikisource has original text related to this article: Navigation ActsThe English navigation acts were a series of laws that restricted the use of foreign shipping for trade between England (after 1707 Great Britain) and its colonies, a process which had started in 1651 Their goal was to force colonial de!elop"ent into lines fa!orable to England, and stop direct colonial trade with the #etherlands, $rance and other European countries The original ordinance of 1651 was renewed at the %estoration b& 'cts of 1660 and 166(, and subse)uentl& sub*ect to "inor a"end"ent These 'cts also for"ed the basis for British o!erseas trade for nearl& +00 &ears,n the whole, the 'cts of Trade and #a!igation were obe&ed, e-cept for the .olasses 'ct of 17((, which led to e-tensi!e s"uggling because no effecti!e "eans of enforce"ent was pro!ided until the 1750s /rritation with stricter enforce"ent under the0ugar 'ct of 1761 beca"e one source of resent"ent b& "erchants in the '"erican colonies against Great Britain, helping cause the '"erican %e!olutionThe "a*or i"petuses for the #a!igation 'cts were the ruinous deterioration of English trade in the after"ath of the Eight& 2ears3 4ar, and the conco"itant lifting of the 0panish trade5e"bargoes on trade between the 0panish E"pire and the 6utch %epublic The end of the e"bargoes in 1617 unleashed the full power of the '"sterda" Entrep7t and other 6utch co"petiti!e ad!antages in world trade 4ithin a few &ears, English "erchants had practicall& been o!erwhel"ed in the trade on the /berian 8eninsula, the .editerranean and the 9e!ant E!en the trade with English colonies (partl& still in the hands of the ro&alists, as the English :i!il 4ar was in its finalstages and the :o""onwealth of England had not &et i"posed its authorit& throughout the English colonies) was ;engrossed; b& 6utch "erchants English direct trade was crowded out b& a sudden influ- of co""odities fro" the 9e!ant, .editerranean and the 0panish and 8ortuguese e"pires, and the 4est /ndies !ia the 6utch Entrep7t, carried in 6utch botto"s and for 6utch accountets to these unwanted i"ports The precedent was the 'ct the Greenland :o"pan& had obtained fro" 8arlia"ent in 1615 prohibiting the i"port of whale products into England, e-cept in ships owned b& that co"pan& This principle was now generalised /n 161? the 9e!ant :o"pan& petitioned 8arlia"ent for the prohibition of i"ports of Tur>ish goods ;fro" @olland and other places but directl& fro" the places of their growth;s#a!igation ,rdinance 1651