4. The French and Spanish had already claimed large areas of land leaving the Atlantic coastline open. The coastline did not meet their needs but met the needs of the British by providing farm land, areas for cash crop production, and easy trade access for mercantilism. The British wanted colonies to support their economic system through their colonies and ships would have a shorter trip back and forth to Britain being located on the Atlantic coast.
The English were late to exploration and colonization of the Americas. Their first attempt at colonization at Roanoke failed. However, their second attempt in 1607 at Jamestown was successful. The colony of Virginia provided Great Britain with cash crops in particular, tobacco. The New England colonies were created after Virginia and were attempts by separatists groups to find a place they could practice their faith without persecution. By the mid-1700s, England had established thirteen colonies from current day Maine to Georgia and the Atlantic coast to the Appalachian Mountains.
