Europeans colonized North America for several key reasons:
1) Prejudice - European colonists viewed indigenous people as inferior and did not understand resistance to change.
2) Slavery - The slave trade brought thousands of Africans to work plantations, and many Europeans believed slavery was acceptable.
3) Economic factors - The "triangle trade" routed goods and slaves between West Africa, the Caribbean/American colonies, and Britain for mutual economic benefit, especially through the slave trade.