Although many consider migration to be a recent phenomenon in the world, migration has been a part of our existence for decades and centuries. Humans have always migrated in groups and as individuals in order to improve their lives. Some sought religious freedom while others hid from war and conflict. Others were trying to escape hunger and poverty, or trying to find new opportunities in a better economy and better employment. Trade in goods has always been an integral part of our past. In Europe they didn't have the materials to make carpets, expensive dresses, they didn't have the exotic spices that Asia had. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Traveling to Asia by land was virtually impossible due to the dangers involved. The Portuguese had already found an alternative route but they did not want to share it with the rest of Europe. In the late 1400s, the King and Queen of Spain sent the Genoese Christopher Columbus to find an alternative route to Asia. Columbus believed that by sea he could find a shorter route. However, instead of traveling to Asia, Columbus discovered new lands on October 12, 1452. After his discovery, individuals and nations were driven to explore and settle the New World. Settling down in an unfamiliar place is not an easy task, but thousands of individuals from different nations have decided to leave everything they knew behind for reasons such as religion, fame, food and money. During the 17th century, many people decided to flee England because they were not getting the religious freedom they wanted. “Many of the British colonies in North America that eventually formed the United States of America were settled in the 17th century by men and women who, in the face of European persecution, refused to compromise their passionate religious beliefs and fled Europe. » (America as a religious refuge) This happened because at the time in Europe many people believed that there was only one true religion and that it was their duty to enforce it, even if it meant killing people to do so. “The religious persecution that drove settlers from Europe to the British colonies in North America arose from the belief, by Protestants and Catholics alike, that religious uniformity must exist in any given society. This belief was based on the belief that there was one true religion and that it was the duty of civil authorities to impose it, by force if necessary, in the interest of saving the souls of all citizens. (America as a Religious Refuge) Many English citizens disagreed and so decided to leave everything behind and settle in the New World. For other countries, they came to the New World because it would bring them wealth. Rumors spread throughout Spain that the lands discovered by Columbus contained a lot of gold. The general goal of Spain's colonization of the New World was to acquire new wealth. Mexico provided this wealth in the form of gold and silver, but it also provided an obstacle to colonization in the form of the Aztecs. However, greatly aided by smallpox, Cortes eventually defeated and conquered the Aztecs and Spain acquired his wealth. (Why did Europeans come to America) Although..