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__Navigation acts__

The navigation acts was established by Oliver Cromwell, military dictator, in 1651 and were extended by Charles II in 1660 and 1663. These acts required that English goods be transported on English owned ships only. They gave British Merchants and ship-owners a virtual monopoly on trade with British colonies. It was believed that the British would develop a shipping industry with a large number of tough, experienced seamen who could be drafted into the Royal Navy. The navigation acts were a form of economic warfare against the Dutch, who were far ahead on the English shipping and foreign trade, because it seriously damaged their shipping and commerce.

McKay, John P. __History of Western society__. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2003.