1) Abstract
Spain's interest in the southeastern part of North America faded in the early 1560s, but La Florida remained attractive due to its strategic position north of the annual Spanish treasure fleet. France planned to establish a fort on the peninsula's Atlantic coast, while Spain sought to protect its Caribbean possessions from raiders.
2) Short paragraph discussing the Spanish-French conflict with regard to the first settlements:
Christopher Columbus's expeditions established possessions in the Caribbean, including Puerto Rico and parts of the U.S. Virgin Islands. Hernando de Soto and Francisco Coronado explored the Southeast and Central Kansas, respectively, and the Plains Indians mastered horsemanship. Spanish settlements grew to become important cities.then The Dutch established New Netherland in 1621 to capitalize on the North American fur trade, but its growth was slow due to mismanagement. New Amsterdam became a trading center and port, tolerant of other religions and cultures. New Netherland served as a barrier to British expansion and was taken over by Britain in 1664, leaving an enduring legacy of religious tolerance and trade.
The New Sweden Company was formed by Swedish, Dutch, and German stockholders to trade furs and tobacco in North America. It was led by Peter Minuit and established 19 permanent settlements and farms, and was incorporated into New Netherland in 1655 after a Dutch invasion.Finally Giovanni da Verrazzano and Jacques Cartier laid the foundation for French colonization of the Americas in New France. After the collapse of the first Quebec colony, French Huguenots settled at Fort Caroline near Jacksonville in Florida. The French established plantations in Louisiana, New Orleans, Mobile and Biloxi.
