The motivation behind the establishment of the Virginia Colony in 1607 was largely economic. English investors sought to exploit the natural resources of the New World, particularly through the establishment of profitable plantations and trade. The Virginia Company, a joint-stock company, aimed to create a settlement that could generate wealth for the investors and make England more competitive against other colonial powers. Additionally, some settlers sought religious freedom and the opportunity to own land. The landing at Jamestown marked the beginning of the first permanent English settlement in North America, leading to centuries of colonial expansion and conflicts with Indigenous peoples.