Columbus didn't "fail" to find North or South America, because he wasn't looking for them.  In his lifetime no one appreciated that there were two vast continents.  He did fail to reach Asia, but I'd like to see how Patkotak would have reached it from the Caribbean Sea, had she been in his position. 

Like other men of his age, Columbus did not believe in the equality of man, either racially or socially.  He believed that the Arawak Indians he found were inferior because of their simple technology and lack of complex institutions.  He thought that, with conversion to Christianity, the Indians would eventually become civilized. The harsh treatment he meted out to them was standard in many parts of Europe.

Columbus was very much a great man in the heroic mold.  He conceived of something grand and dared to put his plan into action, despite years of disappointment in finding a financial backer.  When he got his chance, the voyage was indeed a daring one for its day.