Essay on Zinn Howard Questions Ch 1-6

Other Europeans, Native Americans and West Africans were the groups thought to be most suitable for the economic demand of labor. Many of the early views of West Africans were received through the bible until written accounts of encounters with these people were made. These written accounts of the encounters of West Africans led to the idea West Africans could be brought over and sold in the Americas to work in chattel slavery. This in turn made them the ultimate choice for the labor force of the English. However the famous sale of twenty Africans to the colonists at Jamestown in 1619 by Dutch slave traders did not equate to the introduction of chattel slavery just yet. Many early African slaves were treated similarly to indentured servants brought in from England. They could work the land for a set number of years then after their term was up be freed and given a piece of land. Indentured servitude was not hereditary but their contract could be sold, bartered, given away or gambled away. These contracts gave away the servant’s labor but it did not give away the servant’s person. Despite this African presence, slavery was slow to arrive in Virginia because the mortality rate for indentured servants was so high during the first decades of the Virginia colony. Indentured servitude remained the primary source of labor in Virginia through the 1680s, until economic considerations made slaves the cheaper alternative.

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

In America, the lives of Africans did not get any easier. Once the demand for labor began increasing dramatically, more and more Africans were imported to America. Originally, white people and black people worked together in the plantations. As a result of the increase in Africans in these British colonies, less white people took jobs on plantations. Eventually, enslavement became based on race. Numerous slave codes were developed, which included denying slaves the right to be out past sunset and denying slaves the right to meet in groups of three or more. These Africans forced to live enslaved in America were treated as if they were inferior to white people. It is discouraging to think about the fact that this country, though it was long ago, once accepted this kind of social injustice.

Columbus has always been portrayed as an enlightened, peaceful explorer who “discovered” a new world, and became friends with the native people. Howard Zinn’s view on Columbus’s encounter with the natives is an entirely different perspective. Zinn describes Columbus as a man who is willing to torture and kill others to be able to accomplish what he wants; in this case he wanted to obtain gold and other resources to take back with him to Spain.

Though a vast majority of students learn about Columbus’ great conquests and celebrate him as a hero, very few know of the horrible atrocities he caused when he first landed in America. While considered a hero by most in the United States, Zinn argues that people should think twice about Columbus’ actions, and question whether his behavior to the Indians was necessary. In quotes one and five, Zinn clearly depicts his thoughts on the atrocities done by Columbus and other colonists to the natives living in America.

2. By assigning both, The People’s History of the United States, and A Patriot’s History of the United States, it allows us to take a look at two different views of American history. Howard Zinn, the author of The People’s History of the United States, seems to tell the story from the view of those not in power, like those in slavery, women, and Native Americans. Conversely, the authors of A Patriot’s History of the United States, Larry Schweikart and

1. Zinn's purpose for writing A People's History of the United States is to write about American history from the viewpoint of the people, and not from the rich or the men that made the decisions, but from the people who lived through those decisions and whose lives were affected. His purpose is not to make the people who were in charge look bad, but to see what they did from all perspectives.

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

Breen and Innes do a great job suggesting that a person’s conduct, not necessarily their race, played the major role in early Virginia. They make an inadvertent argument that dominance and submission were the real issue when it came to owning property at the time, not race. The large plantation owners intimidated the smaller farmers and landowners. Blacks were on the same playing field when compared along with the small farmers and landowners. Sadly, this did not last with the entrance of racial mindsets as aforementioned. There is also an argument that even though the hardest working blacks could work their way out of slavery and into freedom, they could maintain the wealth it took to perpetuate that freedom. The growing plantation system and the growing black population is what brought an end to the equal status of the free, black

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

c.) According to Zinn, Columbus is portrayed as a god-like, heroic man who threw his life on the line and survived the unsurvivable to found the New World in traditional history books.

A People’s History of the United States begins, “I prefer to try to tell the story of American from the viewpoint of the Arawaks, of the Constitution from the standpoint of the slaves…”(Zinn, People’s History, 10). Zinn wanted to tell the story of America from the point of view of the oppressed, victimized, and the ‘regular’ people, such as commoners and the working-class, of the United States. To prevent history from repeating itself, the people of American need to be involved in history and learn about it from a point of views that has not been taught to them. Returning to the quote of, “History is written by the victors,” (Churchill), Zinn wants to show that history is also written by survivors, the victors commonly destroy and ignore the records of the victims. Zinn gives the reader the point of view of the survivors of a terrible historical event, allowing his readers to understand that America is not always fair to people. “…[A] statement I once read: “The cry of the poor is not always just, but if you do not listen to it, you will never know what justice is.”” (Zinn, People’s History, 10). Zinn wanted to give the reader an opportunity to see justice, even if they did not want to. In an excerpt from Morison, Zinn applauded him for not omitting facts about genocide but he then states, “But he does something else-he mentions the truth quickly and goes onto other things more important to him” (Zinn, People’s History,8). To Zinn, Morison was more interested in explaining progress and not the cost of that progress. Zinn believes that a historian should write with his or her own bias but not cover up the true oppressing history with so many facts and opinions that it is impossible for the reader to view the ‘historical’ facts with a new opinion Zinn is skilled at explaining events from the point of view that people do

Since 1980, A People’s History of the United States influenced many both young and old, stating untold historical events left out of your conventional history textbook. However, Zinn presents himself as a “Professor of Contempt”, labeled by National Review, rejecting the book as an “anti-American history” book. Repeatedly, Howard Zinn depicts the American story as a result of greed. He believed that every historical leader that took part in our history, their ultimate goal was exploitation and profit. Zinn also intentionally left out substantial American success stories, such as, we were first in flight and first to walk on the moon. He also left out many significant battles, such as Gettysburg and D-Day’s Normandy Invasion. Many critics judge

In his novel, A People’s History of the United States: 1492-Present, Howard Zinn offers readers a new and unexpected take on American history. First published in 1980, A People’s History is often received with much controversy and criticism, as Zinn does something that historians rarely do: he openly rejects the narrative of American history as told by a European perspective. The first chapter of the novel mainly serves to illustrate two of Zinn’s most fundamental ideas: one, that he, as a historian, chooses to write from the lesser-known perspective of groups whose voices have been suppressed; and two, that it is necessary for people to ask themselves to what extent is it ‘right’ to justify atrocities in the name of human progress. Although

African slavery started at the 16th century and ended in the 19th century. Slave life was the most brutal and disrespected period of America. When Africans first stepped foot on the slave ships coming to America things were bad. The white man beat, raped, and treated the black men like animals. Life on the plantation wasn’t any better. The slaves didn’t work for a paycheck, they worked for their lives. The black man had difficulties adapting to the environment, learning another language, and being a monogamous.