Why did the Europeans go to the new world?

Answer 1

India dominated the world GDP for 1500 years form 1 BCE to 1500 AD. The GDP of India was ~ 30% during this time. The U.S. was non-existent at 0.1% and the whole of Europe was around 5-10%. So hundreds of sailors attempted to find the sea route to India but only Vasco-de-Gama succeeded and Christopher Columbus found the America instead of India so people know him too...
(GDP Source, Angus Maddison, The Economist)

Answer 2

Once it was established that Columbus had discovered a new hemisphere, Europeans wanted to know more about it. It did not take long for Europeans to understand that the Native Tribes in the New World, could not interfere with establishing colonies and taking gold and silver from the new lands was relatively easy, major European nations wanted to stake out claims in the new Hemisphere. It basically came down to this:

* The Western Hemisphere was available to help European nations to gain wealth and establish new colonies in order to increase their power;

* New types of products such as tobacco could be grown there and transported back to their homelands;

* Gold and silver mines were possible and what the Europeans did not mine themselves, they could steal from the Native Tribes;

* People in Europe believed they could get a new start economically and politically in the vastness of the New World; and

* In cases where religious freedoms would be allowed without home country interference, they came for religious freedoms.

Answer 3

They were looking for a quicker trade route to Asia. Instead of going around Europe, they believed the going west was a shorter distance than goining around Europe.

Answer 4

since the time when the spices were brought to europe, many europeans sails away just to find the spices. competition also prevailed in those times.