Sixteenth-century England was a tumultuous place. Because they could make more money from selling wool than from selling food, many of the nation's landowners were
converting farmers' fields into pastures for sheep. This led to a food shortage; at the
same time, many agricultural workers lost their jobs.
The 16th century was also the age of mercantilism, an extremely competitive economic
philosophy that pushed European nations to acquire as many colonies as they could. As a
result, for the most part, the English colonies in North America were business ventures.
They provided an outlet for England's surplus population and in some cases) more
religious freedom than England did, but their primary purpose was to make money for their
sponsors.
-"The Thirteen Colonies, 2010
http://www. history. com (accessed July 22, 2014)
Based on the information in the excerpt, the thirteen colonies were mainly established because of -
political unrest in Europe
G religious changes in Europe
# social inequalities in Europe