Navigation Act

American  

noun

English History.

1. any of several acts of Parliament between 1651 and 1847 designed primarily to expand British trade and limit trade by British colonies with countries that were rivals of Great Britain.

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Example Sentences

The navigation act had not been recognized by Virginia as obligatory on her; had been opposed by Massachusetts as an invasion of her rights; and had been evaded by Maryland.

From History of the Colony and Ancient Dominion of Virginia by Campbell, Charles

My two last letters to you furnish occasions; that of a co-operation against the British navigation act, and the arrangement of our affairs on the Mississippi.

From Memoir, Correspondence, And Miscellanies, From The Papers Of Thomas Jefferson, Volume 3 by Randolph, Thomas Jefferson

It was very improbable that the resolutions under consideration would effect their other avowed object, a repeal of the British navigation act.

From The Life of George Washington, Vol. 5 Commander in Chief of the American Forces During the War which Established the Independence of his Country and First President of the United States by Marshall, John

In 1660 a new navigation act was passed which was intended to give English shipping an advantage over competitors, especially the Dutch.

From The Colonization of North America 1492-1783 by Bolton, Herbert Eugene

But now the mother country undertook to enforce the obsolete navigation act and her revenue laws with a new vigor, which was not confined to the American colonies, but embraced the whole British empire.

From History of the Colony and Ancient Dominion of Virginia by Campbell, Charles