Some came to escape persecution, wars and famine in Europe. Some came to look for a life that offered more opportunities than they could find in their old country. Others came looking for the rumored wealth to be found in the New World. In other words, they came for much the same reasons all immigrants of all faiths have come and still come.
IT was the same purpose as everywhere else the helping of people, the saving of souls.
The corporal and spiritual works of mercy is another way to look at it.
If you really want to see the Church in the New World in its best aspect, research the 30+ utopian villages the Jesuits set up for the Guarani Indians, a group from the jungles that adventurers and military and other were persecuting and exploiting.
Before the War of Independence there were large groups of Catholics in the Spanish and French settled areas, particulary the South, Mid-west (Louisiana), and Canada. From the War of Independence until 1841 there was relatively little immigrate, but between 1841 and 1850 Immigration rose sharply, mostly Irish due to the potato famine, and they were all Catholics. Catholics also came from Germany and France due to failed revolutions, bad times, and poor conditions in Europe. After 1870 Immigration again increased from southern Europe and Russia, most of these were Catholics: Italians, Greeks, Hungarians, Poles, and other slavs. This wave of immigrate, Wikipedia contends is mostly younger people (15 to 30) due to farming improvements which left many people out of work.
Roman Catholics generally came to the American colonies for two reasons:
(1) To evangelize the native American Indians; and
(2) To practice their faith without civil government interference.
Religious freedom and trade
To escape persecution.
1492
to escape a kingdom that did not allow them to worship freely
the catholics came to America in the 1600's for religious freedom.they were also unhappy with their system of government in their homeland.
To escape religious persecution in England.
To escape religious persecution in England.
If you count Christopher Columbus as the first European to arrive in the New World, that would be Catholics.
Maryland was established for this exact purpose.
English Catholics settled in Maryland because Catholics were being persecuted in England. They sailed to North America and found refuge in Maryland for those that felt religiously oppressed.
Both religions came to America trying to find separation from the English religious turmoil. Not all Protestants came to America at first, but the non-Anglican sects did because they did not want to admit King Henry VIII was the head of the Church of England. The Catholics came over mainly when Maryland was created originally intended to be a haven for Catholics but, because of financial regions, had both Protestants and Catholics. Eventually, lots more people wanted to come over.
yes
The English came to America because they wanted more freedom and a better colony.
to learn English (come to America)