[Burdened White Man]

Those who originally settled this country came here seeking God, their descendants were given the richest nation in the history of the world. The Spaniards went to Central, and South America seeking gold, their descendants were given poverty.

You obviously haven't studied the purely economic motivation for the founding of Jamestown by the British and New Amsterdam (later New York)by the Dutch. These early colonies had nothing to do with religious liberty, but were attempts by their respective governments to establish economically viable colonies.

[GoldenEagles]

Generally speaking, desire for economic gain alone does not give a person the courage required to sail across an unknown ocean to an unknown land. If the only thing that is present in the soul is a desire for material gain, that soul would be effectively barred from making the trip, being ruled by the fear of the possibility of losing its life on the voyage, or losing its life within the harsh conditions that would obtain upon arrival.

People who are ruled by the desire for material gain alone, are more often than not cowards.

No, I think that the core factor for the establishment of the American colonies, was the desire to create a new land where they could exercise their religious beliefs in freedom and peace, something that was completely unknown in the old world. And, in the establishment of such a new land, economics played a very important role.