The correct answer is D. Christopher Columbus
Step-by-step explanation:
Christopher Columbus first sailed to America in 1792 becoming the first European to officially discover the Americas and create a European settlement in this continent. This important discovery was known all over Europe and this motivated many European countries including Portugal to start own explorations to create settlements in the new continent. Due to this, Portugal, Spain, and other countries began a competence to colonize the territory of the Americas as this was a way to increase the wealth of European countries.