Question 58 of 100 · 2008 civics test
What is one reason colonists came to America?
From the 100-question list, the version for applications filed before October 20, 2025.
Accepted answers
- freedom
- political liberty
- religious freedom
- economic opportunity
- practice their religion
- escape persecution
Any one of these is accepted, unless the question asks for more than one.
Why this is the answer
Any one of the accepted answers works, and they fall into three families. Some colonists crossed the Atlantic in the 1600s and 1700s to escape religious restrictions or persecution and to practice their religion freely. Many came for political freedom. Others came for economic opportunity. What these have in common is that the freedoms and the chances did not exist where they were born, so the colonies represented a new life. The study materials make the parallel explicit: people come to the United States today for the same reasons. Memory hook: religion, politics, opportunity. Pick one and say it plainly.