This paper examines the actions of Christopher Columbus and reveals his underlying motivations. It is demonstrated that the
demands he made were outrageous and he sailed only out of greed. He deceived his crew and manipulated the King and Queen of Castile in a desperate attempt for wealth and glory. It looks at how Columbus' incredible brutality toward the natives not only set a pattern for future contacts between Europeans and Indians but finally outraged the authorities in Spain to the point where he was brought home in chains.