what were the navigation acts

The Navigation Acts were a series of English laws that regulated and promoted English ships, shipping, trade, and commerce between other countries and with its own colonies. The first Navigation Act was passed in 1651 by the Rump Parliament led by Oliver Cromwell, and it authorized the Commonwealth to regulate Englands international trade, as well as the trade with its colonies. It reinforced long-standing principles of national policy that English trade and fisheries should be carried in English vessels. The Navigation Act of 1663, also known as the Encouragement of Trade Act, required all European goods bound for America and other colonies to be trans-shipped through England first. The Navigation Acts were intended to promote the self-sufficiency of the British Empire by restricting colonial trade to English or colonial vessels. The measures were originally framed to encourage the development of English shipping so that adequate auxiliary vessels would be available in wartime, but they became a form of trade protectionism during an era of mercantilism. The Navigation Acts were designed to support English shipbuilding and restrict trade competition from England's commercial adversaries, especially the Dutch.