Answer:
Fort Sumter, in the harbor of Charleston, South Carolina, continued to fly the United States flag, even as Confederate forces surrounded it. Lincoln decided to send provisions but no additional troops or ordnance to the fort unless resistance was met. Unwilling to tolerate a U.S. garrison in Southern territory, Confederates began shelling the fort in the pre-dawn hours of April 12, 1861, and Union guns responded. The Civil War had begun.
Explanation:
They wanted to colinize them and the main reason is becuse well, l a n d and to have a bigger empire and yknow africa was easy and they wanted to export their resorses since they had stuff like bananas or gold mines or rubber
A fleet of warships called is called also naval fleet
