Why did the English establish colonies in the Americas?

Answer 1

Read, read, read ...

http://enewcomer.hubpages.com/hub/The-Founding-of-America-Reflections-of-Colony-Founding-Principles-in-the-1790-Naturalization-Act

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_colonization_of_the_Americas
Start here by scrolling down a bit and reading the table of contents.

http://www.mysocialstudiesclass.com/BRITISHSETTLENORTHAMERICA.pdf

Answer 2

b/c they wanted gold and silver and riches