Who was england chief rival of north america

Until the 16th century, Spain was England's chief rival in North America.  England had created the colony of Georgia as a buffer state between Spanish Florida and the colonies.  Wars were fought between the Spanish and English, such as the War of Jenkin's ear, in the West Indies.  

When the French settled in North America in the 16th century, England gained a larger rival.  The French bordered the English colonies from the North and the West.  It stopped expansion west for the English colonists. France was the biggest rival until the end of the Seven Years War when France was dismissed from North America.  

I hope that is what your question was asking.  

It was called The progressive era because it was a time of widespread social activism and political reform across the United States. It lasted from the 1890s through the 1920s.