¬¬¬¬¬¬¬ Great Britain had economic interests in the Atlantic colonies since the 16th century. Through many laws, acts and conquests, Great Britain sought to control and influence the colonies. Ultimately Britain failed in this attempt. Although the British government could divide and allot land at will, it could not control it effectively. By the end of the French and Indian War, they had lost all ability to control the Atlantic colonies. Before 1700, Great Britain had limited interest in American colonization. Virginia was the first American territory to be claimed by the English. In 1550 the island of Newfoundland was founded as a colony. Sir Walter Raleigh founded the first settlement on Roanoke Island. He claimed most of North America in honor of the queen and named this region in honor of Queen Elizabeth, "The Virgin Queen." The queen considered the Roanoke colony largely a failure and refused to invest more in the colony. King James I, Queen Elizabeth's successor, founded two companies in Virginia in 1607, each with extensive rights to the eastern seaboard. The Virginia Companies, as they were called, were limited to the Atlantic coast and extended 100 miles inland. “The Virginia Company of London was granted a southern tract from Cape Fear to Long Island Sound…The Virginia Company of Plymouth was granted a northern tract extending from Assateague Island to Passamaquoddy Bay, Maine” The Virginia Company of London founded Jamestown and was slightly more successful than Popham Colony, founded by the Virginia Company of Plymouth. The Popham settlement was abandoned after a long, cold winter and the Plymouth Company was subsequently disbanded. Two years after King James ch...... middle of document ...... final take on colonialism in America. While it appears that British policy may have stifled trade in the Atlantic colonies by regulating trade and dividing territories from Canada to the Caribbean islands, it is more likely that the policies helped rather than hurt American trade. America benefited directly from the founding of Jamestown, even though the Virginia Company was a near failure. The Massachusetts Bay Colony provided a place for Puritans to settle. When the Navigation Acts were imposed on the early colonists, along with the relief mandates and various taxes that Britain deemed necessary, the colonists mostly ignored them. The Navigation Acts did not prevent smuggling and it was more likely a symbolic gesture. At the end of the French and Indian War, America was strong, even though the war cost over 2 million pounds.