Which legislative measure was enacted by Britain to control trade in the colonies?

The legislative measure enacted by Britain to control trade in the colonies is the Navigation Acts. These acts were a series of laws that regulated colonial trade and enabled England to collect taxes from the colonies. The main goal of the Navigation Acts was to ensure that trade benefited the British economy by requiring colonies to engage primarily in trade with England and using English ships for transportation.

The Navigation Acts established that certain goods produced in the colonies, known as enumerated goods, could only be shipped to England or English colonies, thereby restricting other trade opportunities. This system was intended to promote British economic interests and tighten governmental control over colonial commerce.

While other measures like the Stamp Act and the Townshend Acts involved taxation and regulation, they were not specifically focused on the broader goal of controlling trade routes and commerce as the Navigation Acts were. The Intolerable Acts, meanwhile, were punitive in response to colonial resistance, particularly after events like the Boston Tea Party, and were not primarily focused on controlling trade in the same systematic manner. Thus, the Navigation Acts are specifically recognized for their role in establishing the framework through which Britain controlled colonial trade.