Which of the following was a primary goal of the Navigation Acts implemented by Britain?

The primary goal of the Navigation Acts was to exert control over trade in the colonies. These laws were designed to ensure that colonial trade benefited England economically by mandating that certain goods produced in the colonies could only be shipped to England or English ships. This approach aimed to monopolize trade, restrict competition, and strengthen the British economy by controlling the flow and profitability of colonial resources such as tobacco, sugar, and timber.

By establishing such regulations, the British government sought to maintain a mercantilist economic system where the colonies served primarily as sources of raw materials and markets for British goods. This control was fundamental in reinforcing both economic dependency and political authority over the colonies, leading to eventual tensions that contributed to the American Revolutionary War.