Answer:
This depends.
Explanation:
For the puritans and the pilgrims, it was to escape religious peresuction and to build a utopia. For the Dutch and other non-English countries, it was generally to engage in trade to make money, rather than settle down and build a society. For the colonists in virigina who were not puritans, they wanted to make money and also start a new life, and they were generally young men who were risk takers.