It Was Necessary For The Human Race

of America. In writing this book, the major aim, for Zinn, was to set a quiet revolution. This

Howard Zinn is a professor of political science in Boston University and Gordon S. Wood is a history professor at Brown University. These two historians viewed the nature of American Revolution from two opposite different perspectives. Zinn viewed the American Revolution as an effort to preserve America’s status; while Wood looked at Revolution as an event that incorporated sense of equality among all Americans. Zinn was able to present the argument better as evidences he provided to support his argument seemed to make more sense and were closer to reality.

Howard Zinn’s argument on the nature of the American War for Independence was the war for independence was not a social revolution. Instead, he argues the colonial elite used the war for their own personal gain in power and status. The wealthy and powerful found a strategy to maintain and even increase their social and political status by leading the war against England and the courtiers associated with England.

The origins and development of slavery in Britain’s North American colonies during the colonial period can be traced down to the fact that North American colonies were created for the economic profit of Great Britain. Reasons for the development of slavery in the North American colonies can be the switch to slavery from indentured servitude due to the desire of free labor and the results of Bacon’s rebellion, the introduction of cash crops such as sugar and tobacco and the introduction of the plantation system, and the easy access of slaves due to the triangular trade and the middle passage.

Later on in A People’s History of the United States, Zinn questions whether “all this bloodshed and deceit – from Columbus to Cortez, Pizarro, the Puritans – [was] a necessity for the human race to progress from savagery to civilization.” Zinn

The origins and development of slavery within Britain’s North American colonies in the period 1607 to 1776 was majorly in part by the English need for economic power. England had just arose as the strongest naval of the North Atlantic had they had to keep their high standing in the world. Bacon’s Rebellion, the profit received by cash crops, and the ability to easily purchase slaves through trade highly boosted Britain’s economy. The colonists within the British colony kept through economic standing and power by making themselves higher than any other through slavery.

Zinn argues that the perspective of indigenous people should not be omitted and argues that their perspectives are as significant as any other. He provides insight and perspectives of the Indians to describe how the heinous acts of the Europeans were unjustified. He also discusses that the Europeans had a continual motive of exploring during that time which was to increase the power/authority of the Spanish Crown by whatever means necessary, usually leading to violent wars.

8. How does Zinn attempt to prove that the Indians were not inferior? Provide examples.

Although, Slavery had existed for centuries as a lowest social status in different parts of the world like Africa, Roman Empire, Middle East and etc., in English colonies slavery gained an importance, because of increasing demand for labor force and becoming relationship legitimated by law. Therefore, Englishmen were the reason of slavery in the colonies and its consequences.

One of the biggest things people look for in a story is an emotional connection that will draw them in and can make them feel as though they are seeing things in a whole new light. Howard Zinn undoubtedly attempts to force an emotional connection to his reader in the first chapter of his 1980 textbook “A People’s History of the United States”. In this chapter, Zinn tells his reader about how Europe was unremittingly asperous toward the rest of the world, particularly in the Americas in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. While trying to make his point, though, Zinn uses a gratuitous amount of emotion in his work and very little fact and logic. Zinn’s work also features a large amount of bias to further his argument by severely manipulating his evidence and completely

Slavery in America evolved from indentured servitude to a slavery system, consisted of kidnapped Africans, because of Bacon’s Rebellion. The Bacon’s Rebellion was started by Nathaniel Bacon in 1676 when white settlers desired to move west near the Appalachian Mountains, which was claimed by the Native Americans. With the desire to claim the land, they had a buildup of anger and altercations with the Native Americans who controlled the land by inhabiting it from coast to Appalachian Mountains. The House of Burgesses, or the government, tried to prevent conflict with the Native American people as best they could. However, Bacon still led white and African American men to the Native American land to claim it. He also had support from indentured servants who wanted rights such as voting and civics. Bacon’s men trudge through Jamestown and set it on fire. This represents that the people are rebelling against the government due to weak Indian policies. One of the many consequences rebels faced were executions from Sir William Berkeley, the governor of the colony, who was one of many that tried to prevent Nathaniel and his men. The following from virtualjamestown.org provides a list of those that were executed during Bacon’s Rebellion in Virginia. For example the list states, “One Johnson, a stirer up of the people to sedition but no fighter.” This means that this individual is getting the people riled up but when it comes to the act of fighting, he takes no part in it. Another example being, “One Hall, a Clerk of a County but more useful to the rebels than 40 army men--that dyed very penitent confessing his rebellion against his King and his ingratitude to me.” This execution was powerful because Sir William Berkeley eliminated an individual who directly told him that he did not respect him. This man’s execution was significant because he was an important member of society that equivalated to army men.

A Peoples History of the United States was written by Howard Zinn. Zinn’s main purpose for writing this book was to give a precise and detailed exposition of American History from the victim’s point of view. “I prefer to try to tell the story of the discovery of America from the viewpoint of the Arawaks, of the Constitution from the standpoint of the slaves…” He wants to uncover hidden episodes of the past, be skeptical about the government and even talk about the cruelties the victims put on each other because of their oppressors. He wants to understand why the oppressors killed the victims and how these victims felt and what actions they took. Zinn wants to tell history’s greatest achievement from the point of view of the people who get slaughtered, robbed, taunted and anything else that happened to the victims while

d.) Zinn’s basic criticism about historian Samuel Eliot Morison’s book is that throughout the entire book, Morison states that Columbus was a terrible person who

This book has proven to be an enlightening read. It both teaches and inspires. Howard Zinn has offered us a perspective of the real story of American history heretofore unavailable to us – history from the perspective of real people – immigrant laborers, American women, the working poor, factory workers, African and Native Americans.

Zinn is stating that just because it is human progress and supposedly better for all does not mean that they should not be allowed a choice in the sacrifices they must go through. As it is pointed out in the first chapter, not all “human progress” benefitted the native people of North America. In Haiti, for example, the sacrifices they were forced to make ended in total extinction of all the original Arawaks on the island. This is why I believe Zinn’s statement and think that the sacrificed deserve to decide for themselves if the human progress is actually worth