A major reason the American colonists of the 1600s chose to settle along the seacoast and rivers was so that they could

(1) export slaves

(2) carry out trade

(3) protect themselves from Native American Indians

(4) use water power to run factory machinery

The major reason the American colonists in 1600 chose to settle along rivers and the sea coast was they could 2. carry out trades. The first trading post was set up by the Dutch on the lower Manhattan Island in 1613. In the 1620's, the Puritans began to settle in Massachusetts. Some of the things that were traded was coffee, tea, and sugar. Sadly, the slave trade was also huge back in those days even tho it was deemed illegal in some of the new states. The correct answer to this question is 2.