What affect did the Navigation Acts have on the colonies?

Answer 1

The Navigation Acts meant that the colonists ships had to find rivers and docks without British agents so they could unload their smuggled goods. "As fast as they can make em, that's as fast as we can break em." Yes, it made life more difficult. It diverted a lot of colonial shipping from colonial ports to illegal ports but did not stop it. The Colonists refused to purchase items from British ships preferring their own smuggled items. Finally Parliament gave up only keeping a tax on tea.

When that happened, the colonists switched from tea to coffee. They would have an afternoon coffee break when the English had tea time. In most places the tea was unloaded into warehouses but no one would dare purchase tea from a warehouse. In Boston, men dressed as Indians threw the tea overboard. They called it "The Boston Tea Party."

As a result, King George III closed the Port of Boston to try to starve the inhabitants. Instead, the other colonies sent them food and supplies.

In order to keep the other colonies informed of conditions, the people of Massachusetts created Committees of Correspondence to write each other and the other colonies to describe what was going on. These were volunteer committees not part of the governments but frequently involved political people.

Such committees arose in other colonies. They insisted that only unified action by all the colonies would make an impression. They called on their legislatures to create a Continental Congress, and the rest is history.

(Other factors were also involved)

Answer 2

The Navigation Acts meant that the colonists ships had to find rivers and docks without British agents so they could unload their smuggled goods. "As fast as they can make em, that's as fast as we can break em." Yes, it made life more difficult. It diverted a lot of colonial shipping from colonial ports to illegal ports but did not stop it. The Colonists refused to purchase items from British ships preferring their own smuggled items. Finally Parliament gave up only keeping a tax on tea.

When that happened, the colonists switched from tea to coffee. They would have an afternoon coffee break when the English had tea time. In most places the tea was unloaded into warehouses but no one would dare purchase tea from a warehouse. In Boston, men dressed as Indians threw the tea overboard. They called it "The Boston Tea Party."

As a result, King George III closed the Port of Boston to try to starve the inhabitants. Instead, the other colonies sent them food and supplies.

In order to keep the other colonies informed of conditions, the people of Massachusetts created Committees of Correspondence to write each other and the other colonies to describe what was going on. These were volunteer committees not part of the governments but frequently involved political people.

Such committees arose in other colonies. They insisted that only unified action by all the colonies would make an impression. They called on their legislatures to create a Continental Congress, and the rest is history.

(Other factors were also involved)