The purpose of the Navigation Acts was
to limit colonial trade to Britain only. If the colonies wished to
trade with anyone else, they had to go through England first. This
policy allowed England to collect revenue from taxation. However, there
were certain products that the colonists could only trade with England.
Initially that was cotton, tobacco and sugar but, in time, that list
grew and continuously decreased the number of goods the colonists could
trade with other countries.
