<P> Other European nations soon disputed the terms of the Treaty of Tordesillas . England and France attempted to plant colonies in the Americas in the 16th century, but these failed . England and France succeeded in establishing permanent colonies in the following century, along with the Dutch Republic . Some of these were on Caribbean islands, which had often already been conquered by the Spanish or depopulated by disease, while others were in eastern North America, which had not been colonized by Spain north of Florida . </P> <P> Early European possessions in North America included Spanish Florida, Spanish New Mexico, the English colonies of Virginia (with its North Atlantic offshoot, Bermuda) and New England, the French colonies of Acadia and Canada, the Swedish colony of New Sweden, and the Dutch New Netherland . In the 18th century, Denmark--Norway revived its former colonies in Greenland, while the Russian Empire gained a foothold in Alaska . Denmark - Norway would later make several claims in the Caribbean, starting in the 1600s . </P> <P> As more nations gained an interest in the colonization of the Americas, competition for territory became increasingly fierce . Colonists often faced the threat of attacks from neighboring colonies, as well as from indigenous tribes and pirates . </P> <P> The first phase of well - financed European activity in the Americas began with the Atlantic Ocean crossings of Christopher Columbus (1492--1504), sponsored by Spain, whose original attempt was to find a new route to India and China, known as "the Indies". He was followed by other explorers such as John Cabot, who was sponsored by England and reached Newfoundland . Pedro Álvares Cabral reached Brazil and claimed it for Portugal . </P>

How did european nations compete to build new colonies in the americas