Final answer:
The Navigation Acts required New England merchants to ship certain enumerated goods solely within the British Empire and comply with trade regulations that favored British economic interests. Lax enforcement led to selective adherence by the colonists, who often found smuggling and non-compliance more profitable.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Navigation Acts were a series of laws passed by the British government in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries to regulate trade between England and its colonies. Specifically, the Navigation Acts required New England merchants to abide by certain trade regulations, such as shipping certain enumerated goods exclusively within the British Empire. Products like tobacco and sugar, which were listed in the Navigation Acts, had to be transported on English or colonial ships and were subject to customs duties.
Enforcement of these laws was initially lax, which led to the passing of the Navigation Act of 1696, closing the loopholes and granting officials the authority to search for and seize illegal goods. Additionally, The Trade Act of 1696 established the Board of Trade to oversee colonial commerce more effectively. These measures aimed to ensure that colonies provided raw materials to Britain and bought British-made finished goods, bolstering Britain's mercantilist economy.
In practice, many New England merchants did not strictly adhere to the Navigation Acts, often finding it more profitable to engage in smuggling and trade with non-British colonies, particularly in the lucrative molasses and rum trade. Historian T.H. Breen notes that American colonists obeyed the Navigation Acts when it was convenient and profitable, indicating compliance was selective rather than due to coercion.