Navigation Acts

British  

plural noun

1. a series of acts of Parliament, the first of which was passed in 1381, that attempted to restrict to English ships the right to carry goods to and from England and its colonies. The attempt to enforce the acts helped cause the War of American Independence

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Example Sentences

Let us bind ourselves to nothing, but reserve a right of making navigation acts when we please, if we find them necessary or useful.

From The Diplomatic Correspondence of the American Revolution Volume 7. by Various

The planting states wanted a provision forbidding Congress to pass navigation acts, except by a two-thirds vote, and forbidding any tax on exports; three states also wished to import slaves for use on their plantations.

From A School History of the United States by McMaster, John Bach

The two main grievances are the English navigation acts and the grant of authority to the English noblemen to sell land titles and manage other matters in Virginia.

From The Real America in Romance, Volume 6; a Century Too Soon (A Story by Musick, John R. (John Roy)

The navigation acts fell heavily upon the tobacco planters, who were deprived of the Dutch trade.

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

The Bute Ministry planned to enforce the navigation acts, to tax the colonies directly, and to use the colonial revenue to support an army in America.

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