it became necessary for European industrialized nations to expand their markets globally in order to sell products that they could not sell domestically on the continent. ... The economic gains of the new imperialism were limited, however, because the new colonies were too poor to spend money on European goods.
It created a barrier between the United States territory to the east of the river and English territory to the west. It connected them directly to the French in New Orleans, their biggest supporters during the war.
