Final answer:
The purpose of the Navigation Acts was to establish mercantilist policies to control trade and generate wealth for the British Empire, ensuring all goods passed through England to be taxed. These acts provided English merchants with a monopoly in the colonies and were part of a broader strategy to enhance the empire's global economic power.
Step-by-step explanation:
The purpose of the Navigation Acts was primarily to create wealth for the British Empire through mercantilist policies. By controlling trade with the American colonies, England aimed to increase its income and strengthen its global economic standing. The Navigation Acts mandated that all goods bound for the colonies from countries outside the British Empire must first be shipped to England to be taxed, thereby raising revenue and ensuring that English merchants could compete against foreign imports.
The Navigation Acts were part of a larger mercantilist strategy that involved enumerated goods which the colonists could only ship within the British Empire. Notably, the Staple Act prevented the importation of goods not made in England, and the Plantation Duties Act taxed goods shipped between colonies. These acts were designed not only to generate revenue but also to give British merchants and manufacturers a profitable monopoly.
To further control and develop commerce, the Navigation Act of 1696 and the Trade Act of 1696 strengthened the collection of duties and created the Board of Trade, enabling improved administrative oversight of colonial trade. The new regulations intended to nurture the British economy and maintain the economic relationship whereby colonies supplied raw materials and purchased manufactured goods from Britain. The system increased the wealth and global power of Britain and provided economic benefits to most participants, although enforcement issues and growing autonomy among colonial assemblies meant some tensions existed within the empire.