The motivations for the people to immigrate to the new world in North America are various. Among them the desire for greater economic opportunity may be the most impelling single motive. The new continent first attracted English nobles who desired to establish great new estates out of the wildness. It also attracted people like skilled workmen and the poor and the homeless from Europe who sought a better life and good fortune. Motives of other immigrants include escaping from religious persecution and political oppression, or the individual interest in adventure.