New England Restraining Act
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Officially titled the New England Trade And Fisheries Act, the New England Restraining Act, is an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain (citation 15 Geo. III c. 31) given royal assent by George III on March 30, 1775. It was Britain's response to the American colonies' decision to boycott British goods, as embodied in the Articles of Association of 1774. The Act was directed at the New England colonies, as the Coercive Acts had been earlier, as the perceived source of the colonies' unrest. The Act provided that New England's trade be limited to Britain and the British West Indies (trade with other nations was prohibited, effective July 1, 1775). Moreover, New England ships were barred from the North Atlantic fisheries (a measure that pleased British Canadians, but threatened considerable harm to New England's economy), effective July 20, 1775. In April 1775, after news was received in London of the ratification of the Articles of Association, the colonies of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia, Maryland and South Carolina were included under the Act’s provisions, to punish them for their adoption of the boycott under the Association.
