HAT ACT


Meaning of HAT ACT in English

(1732) British law that restricted colonial manufacture and export of hats in competition with English hat makers, limiting the number of apprentices and forbidding the use of blacks in the trade.

Part of the mercantile policy that restricted trade by the colonies and subordinated them economically, it enabled English hatters to dominate markets formerly supplied by New England and New York manufacturers.

Britannica Concise Encyclopedia.      Краткая энциклопедия Британика.