There are a few reasons but one reason is economic. The high demand of tobacco in Europe, in particular from Virginia and Maryland, increased the profits available to colonists. As such, planters required an increase to land to plant more tobacco. More tobacco, more profit. The seizure of land from Native Americans was driven, in large part, by these economic opportunities tobacco afforded colonists.

Combined with other factors confrontation between colonists and Indigenous populations was caused by rising tensions that developed out of the economic thrust of the tobacco enterprise.