Read the passage.
The forts were needed to provide protection from the Spanish in Florida, this was so the colonists. could maintain their trade which was active, and it was with the nearby Indians.
What is the best way to combine these sentence fragments into one complete sentence?
The forts were needed to provide protection from the Spanish in Florida and from the nearby Indians.
The forts were providing protection from the Spanish in Florida, and the colonists were trading actively with the nearby Indians.
The forts were needed to provide protection from the Spanish in Florida so the colonists could maintain their active trade with the nearby Indians.
The forts were needed to provide protection. From the Spanish in Florida. So the colonists could maintain their active trade with the nearby Indians.