Question

What is the primary reason England passed the Navigation Acts ?

Answer 1

Answer:

England wanted to maintain control of the economic gains in the colonies and to continue with the mercantilist system.

Explanation:

The British Parliament passed a series of Navigation Acts beginning in 1651 that helped them to regulate trade to and from the colonies, as well as in between them or with other nations.  The British economy was mercantilist meaning they used the wealth and profits that they could glean from the colonies and industries to add to the finances of the state and to make the British empire more powerful. Colonies like the Americas were thus important for maintaining trade surpluses so that the treasury would receive greater flows of silver and gold. This was the predominant economic model organizing Europe and its colonies from the 15th to the 18th centuries. Free trade was not allowed from the colonies to other nations and the European powers exercised imperialism to maintain their control. The Navigation Acts are considered instrumental to the dissatisfaction of the American colonists with the status quo and they are considered one of the important drivers for the later American revolution.