Final answer:
The Iron Act did not tax iron shipments to the colonies; instead, it aimed to restrict the production of iron in the colonies to maintain England as the primary manufacturing source, fitting into the wider mercantile framework of the Navigation Acts to benefit the English economy.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question pertains to the effects of the Iron Act on the shipment and production of iron in colonial America. Contrary to the assertion that the Iron Act taxed iron to be shipped to the colonies, its actual intention was to discourage the manufacture of iron in the colonies to ensure that England remained the primary manufacturer and exporter of finished iron goods. The act is situated among several Navigation Acts which aimed to reinforce the mercantile system that controlled colonial trade for the benefit of the English economy.
It's important to note that these acts, including the Navigation Act of 1660, Staple Act of 1663, and the Plantation Duty Act of 1673, established a system where enumerated goods had to be shipped within the British Empire, and often through an English port before going to the colonies, increasing the cost for the colonists and the tax revenue for England. This system limited the economic independence of the colonies and stoked discontent, which eventually contributed to the tensions leading up to the American Revolution.