0.
II. The Origin and Purposes of our Acquisition of these Territories.
There were wide differences of date and purpose in our acquisition
of these remaining S.D's (as with our other former colonial possessions).
To take the West Indian ones first, our acquisition of the great majority of these, and of the remaining small territories with which we are here concerned (the exceptions are noted below) was in the first, 16th-17th century, phase of our colonial expansion and was part of that so-called
'European Expansion' into the lately discovered New World (with its
reputed wealth) of which Spain was the 15th-16th century pioneer and
France our constant competitor during the 17th and 18th centuries; the
same expaasion which of course saw our acquisition of our early colonies
on the N. American mainland (again in competition with those of France
and Spain). Our purposes here therefore were mainly commercial, a share
in the wealth of the New World, but in establishing these colonial-plant-
ation establishments we did generally settle them to some extent by English (and in a few cases Irish and Scots) settlers usually through
the instrumentality of a 'Proprietor entrepreneur or 'Proprietary Company
under Royal Charter, and sometimes by direct action of the Crown.
Owing to French and Spanish competition (though after the end of the
by then 17th century mainly French for Spain had/largely dropped out of the race) the territories suffered many vicissitudes and rival conquests and changes of hands, and in these circumstances, especially during our long 18th cent.
rivalry with France, they became important strategic posts for our naval
and maritime activities in general and so acquired an additional motive for our golding (and occasionally extending) of them; and their position
N. on the flank of our/American mainland colonies gave those communities a
strategic interest in our possession of them in addition to a valuable
African trade (in which of course, until the early 19th century,/slavery formed a discreditable part, and soon left a black population in most islands which outnumbered the settler, and the indigenous, element).
Thus, of the 5 West Indies Associated States, Antigua, St.Kitts-Nevis-
-Anguilla, St Vincent, Dominica and St Lucia), all but the last-named