Which of the following is NOT a feature of the Navigation Acts as described?

• A. Required English ships and crews
• B. Enumerated articles not to be shipped elsewhere
• C. All colonial trade to pass through England
• D. They allowed colonial trade to bypass England

Answer: (D)

These Acts are a clear example of mercantilist policy, aimed at keeping trade within the English realm and boosting national wealth. They required that goods traveling from the colonies be shipped on English ships under English crews, which ties maritime power and labor to England. They also designated certain colonial products as enumerated goods that could only be shipped to England or to other English colonies, limiting direct competition with rival nations. Finally, they dictated that all colonial trade pass through English ports, so England could regulate and collect duties, ensuring imperial profits.

The statement that colonial trade could bypass England does not fit this framework. The purpose of the Acts was precisely to prevent bypassing and to maintain strict control over who could trade with the colonies and where goods could go.