The British had claimed all the land from the Atlantic to the pacific However, since the Appalachians acted as a barrier, the British had no easy access to the Ohio valley. On the other hand the French had <span>waterway access to the Ohio valley, making it easier to settle there.</span>
The main reason why the British imposed new taxes on the colonies after the French and Indian War was that "<span>c. The British felt that the colonies should pay for the protection they received during and after the war," since the colonists were the ones at risk of French expansion at the time. </span>
Let me handle your first question -- always good to do one question at a time here. :-)
Prior to President Theodore Roosevelt, those who preceded him in federal government had tended to side with industry leaders, expecting laborers to fall in line and do the work for the good of the companies. In 1902, when there was a particularly tense strike by coal workers, Roosevelt invited both sides (labor leaders and management leaders) to the White House to negotiate. This was an example of the way he saw the role of government leadership as "steward" to the nation, mediating on behalf of everyone's interests, not just the interests of a powerful small group. His "Square Deal" policies were aimed at making things fair and square for the general public. An example of this would be how much land was set aside under his administration as national forests, national parks, national monuments, etc. He was seeking to protect the use of the land for all Americans' interests, rather than letting corporations tear into any land or forest they wanted in order to grab natural resources.
<span>Virginia and Maryland both developed as agrarian economies during their formative years. Maryland was set up by Lord Baltimore to be more of a religious refuge than Virginia, though, since there was a need for a location for Catholic settlers to go to be able to worship with less interference. Virginia was settled as a location for plantation owners to farm tobacco, once it was shown to be a profitable crop.</span>
