Columbus Synthesis

“Like other states of the modern world, Spain sought gold, which was becoming the new mark of wealth, more useful than land because it could buy anything.”

- Howard Zinn, A Peoples History of the United States

The increasing demand for wealth and power was the reason the Spanish Monarchy financed Christopher Columbus’ ambiguous, dangerous, and potentially fatal journey to the unexplored regions of the world. Columbus was merely the right person, in the right place, at the right time for such an expedition, or the first to attempt this feat. There is no doubt that in the near future, perhaps even Columbus’ lifetime, another explorer would attempt this conquest of uncharted land.

It is certain that the Americas would be discovered in this era because the ball was already rolling and there was too much fortune involved for it to ever stop.  Many explorers, such as Marko Polo, were discovering new lands, and obtaining great wealth all the time. Europe now craved much more power and dominance. The only reason Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand would invest in such a risky quest was that they hoped that it would result in wealth. This put pressure on Columbus to keep to his word that he would bring back what he had promised. In his journal he wrote, “But in truth, should I meet with gold or spices in great quantity, I shall remain till I collect as much as possible, and for this purpose I am proceeding solely in quest for them.” It is evident there was a powerful drive for these items, therefore if Columbus had not proposed the idea someone else certainly would. This desire for fortune was so current in the 1400’s through the 1500’s that someone would push the boundaries during this period of time.

So why was it Columbus who first entertained the idea of traveling the far end of the world if the conquest of the Americas was so certain? It’s simply because he was the earliest man with the passion for exploration to risk life and limb, to discover new parts of the earth (and not to mention, reap the benefits of wealth and fame along the way). Even at an early age Columbus was intrigued by the idea of exploration. In a Lincoln Reader Article by R.J. Boyle, it is described about Columbus that, “The stories the sailors told, of the strange lands they had visited and the curious things they had seen, made the boy wish to become a sailor, that he might see all of those wonderful sights for himself.” With this passion, it was Columbus who was fated to attempt that expedition.

Whether it be Christopher Columbus, or some other unknown explorer, for wealth, power, or domination, Europe would not cease expansion. The conquest of the Americas in the 1500’s was inevitable.