What was the driving force behind the europeans’ desire to find an oceanic route to asia?

Trade. The Europeans had silk, coffee, tea and other goods to trade with the people on the Asian continents, this was the key driving force behind trying to find a route to Asia, as they could cut costs with a cheaper route, they wanted to control the potential sea-faring routes. 

This act gave the federal government the power to relocate any native in the east to territory west of the mississippi river.