British authorities based their colonial commercial policies on the theory of?

The Navigation Acts were an attempt to put the theory of Mercantilism into practice in the British colonies. The object of mercantilism was to minimize imports that cost the nation money, and maximize exports that made the nation money. Colonies were a means of reducing England's dependence on foreign nations. Each colony would provide a raw material to England and this would allow the nation to not have to purchase that product from another nation. By establishing colonies loyal to the Crown, Great Britain would be expanding a dependable market for the finished products coming out of British industries.