Final answer:
The Navigation Acts were a series of mercantilist policies enacted by England in the late seventeenth century to control trade with the American colonies. These acts restricted colonial trade and contributed to the buildup to the American Revolution.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Navigation Acts were a series of mercantilist policies enacted by England in the late seventeenth century, specifically during the Restoration, in an attempt to gain better control of trade with the American colonies. These acts aimed to restrict colonial trade and ensure that the colonies remained economically dependent on England. One example is the Navigation Act of 1660, which restricted all shipping in the empire to English and colonial vessels and listed certain goods that could only be traded within the empire. The Navigation Acts ultimately led to discontent among the colonists and played a role in the buildup to the American Revolution.