Why Christopher Columbus
...inous symbol of exploitation and greed. While others would contend that the real “Admiral of the Ocean Sea” lies somewhere in the middle. Although Columbus will always be viewed as overly ambitious, ruthless and greedy; his voyages opened the New World to Western Civilization, exposed it to Christianity and were one of the turning points in history. For better or for worse, this is one indisputable point that all historical interpretations agree. Despite all of his mistakes and imperfections, he maintained his plans to discover a westward route to Asia. With the support of Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain, after the fall of Granada, and the desire for gold and conquest as the true motivational forces behind Columbus’ historic voyages, he set out on the first of four incredulous expeditions that changed the New World. “Gold is a treasure, and he who possesses it does all he wishes to in this world, and succeeds in helping souls into paradise.” The first Expedition set sail from Palos, Spain on August 3, 1492 with three small ships, the Nina, Pinta and the Santa Maria. After nearly a month in the Canary Islands, he landed on the small Bahamian Watling Island (modern San Salvador). Claiming that he was the first to see land, Columbus took possession and discovered other nearby islands. As one of his numerous blunders, he thought he had reached the East Indies, and referred to the native inhabitants of the islands as “Indians.” Hence, the name applied to all indigenous people of the New World. With the Santa Maria shipwrecked off the coast of Hispaniola, he returned to Spain where he was made admiral of the ocean seas and governor-general of any island discovered in the past or future. The Second expedition sailed from Cadiz in October 1493 with a much large fleet, which landed in the Lesser Antilles. With Puerto Rico, the Leeward Islands, and later Jama...