How did the Navigation Acts affect colonial trade?

The Navigation Acts significantly influenced colonial trade by mandating that certain goods produced in the colonies could only be transported on English ships and sold in English ports. This legislation was aimed at ensuring that trade benefited England economically and maintained colonial allegiance to the Crown. By restricting trade to English vessels, the acts limited colonial merchants' ability to engage freely with other nations, which was meant to bolster the English economy and exert control over colonial commerce. As a result, while the colonies could still trade, they were constrained in their trade partnerships and practices, effectively creating a monopoly for English shipping companies. This centralization of trade routes and practices under the English flag undermined colonial autonomy and was a source of resentment leading to tensions between the colonies and Great Britain.