Why did England want to establish colonies in America?

Question

Why did England want to establish colonies in America?

Answer 1

England set up the colonies for a few reasons.  At the time the British were spreading their influence and power all over the world and the colonies in America were just part of that.  Furthermore, the colonies were a great business opportunity.  England needed the raw materials and resources from the colonies for products back home.  It also set up a market were the British could sell their finished goods.

Answer 2

They also were greedy and looking for raw materials from which they could make money. They needed raw material badly.

They also liked to ship people they didn't like elsewhere. We were good for that. They shipped the Scots to Ireland and then to the U.S. or Australia.

Expansion of Empire = More Power.

Answer 3

To expand their country and power.

Answer 4

England was in competition with Spain and France for expanding their foreign trade.  By establishing colonies that could be defended they not only had enormous land gains and all the wealth from that land, they also could use the colonies to off load the undesirables of their own country, the criminal, religious fanatics, and such.

Worked out well for them and as they dominated the oceans with the largest fleet of ships of any country, they created the largest collection of colonies which became the British Empire.  This greatly increased the wealth flowing into England.

Answer 5

globalization ...

although it was not coined that term during that era, the principles, the strategies, and the desired outcomes were remarkably the same as today.

The major difference between then and now is the concept of "colonization" in that back then, England as well as the other powers had no problem (and no political correctness) in treating indigenous people as second-hand folks and, well, you already know the treatment given to anyone classified as a "slave."

Today, under the guise of globalization and the ridiculous maxim of "a rising tide brings up all ships" instead of colonizing other (mostly poor and undeveloped and underdeveloped) countries, the world's powers (start with the G8 as a good example of the world's powers) are very careful to use politically correct terms and phrases so as not to give the impression they (powerful) are taking advantage of the least powerful people on earth.