Okay so I'm not sure exactly if this is talking about primary or secondary sources, but if it is then I'm fairly certain that this would be a secondary source since the student wasn't there to witness it, they're relying on their research to give them information.
Answer:
They were look for gold.
Explanation:
In the section that begins after the header "SEARCHING FOR GOLD", it says, "De Soto and his men were mainly looking for gold." It then goes on to explain how they traveled from Florida up to North Carolina and crossed the Appalachian Mountains. They the went west into Tennessee and south to Alabama. The reason for all of their travels were simply to find gold.
Freedom! Woooooohoooooooooo
