What did the europeans hope to gain by finding a sea route to asia?

The main drive to find a route via sea was to avoid the silk road that was going through Asia (which was infested by bandits whom required a bribe to get passed). They wanted to trade with the Asians so that they could continue to enjoy their spice, silk, and get rich.

Overall they found a sea route because it was much safer and less expensive means of getting goods to and from Asia.

Hope it was helpful!

the main objectives of the progressive movement were eliminating problems caused by industrialization, urbanization, immigration, and political corruption.