great britain was not the only country to settle what would become the united states. in the 1500s, spain built a fort at saint augustine, florida. france settled louisiana, and the area around the great lakes. the dutch settled new york, which they called new netherland. other areas were settled by scotch-irish, germans, and swedes. however, in time britain controlled all of the colonies, and most american colonists adopted the british way of life. the growth of the colonies was not good for native americans. many of them died of smallpox, a disease brought to america by the europeans. the ones who lived lost their lands to the colonists.