Which best explains why settlers in the northwest territory chose to be near lakes and rivers in the late 1700s? a they hoped the waterways would provide a route across the continent to the pacific. b they wanted to harness the power of the waterways to build new factories. c they wanted to use the waterways to transport goods and crops to distant markets. d they planned to use these waterways to defend their properties from attack.

Option: C. They wanted to use the waterways to transport goods and crops to distant markets.

Explanation:

The Northwest Territory is surrounded by Great lakes and rivers. The territory had vast wilderness with the residence of the Indian tribes. The wilderness provided furs and other goods, which considered to be profitable for the European  Market.  The settlers went to Northwest Territory to cultivate crops and to transport goods that founded in the forest.            

its main object was the establishment of "settlement houses" in poor urban areas, in which volunteer middle-class "settlement workers" would live, hoping to share knowledge and culture with, and alleviate the poverty of, their low-income neighbors.