Answer:
Prior to the French and Indian War, the American Colonists wanted to extend their territory to the west of the Appalachian Mountains, in what is now the Midwest.
The British Crown opposed this because they did not want to have conflicts with the Native Americans in these lands, and with the French.
In the end, the conflict became impossible to avoid, and the British won, and the land was granted to the Empire.
The French had set up trading posts in the Louisiana Territory and traded goods using the Mississippi River as transportation. The river leads into the ocean, specifically in New Orleans. New Orleans was a major port used to transport goods from the Louisiana Territory back to Europe.
In 1783 Spain owned what is now known as Florida.
