a peoples history Essay example - 844 Words

A People’s History of the United States 1492 – Present by Howard Zinn takes a realistic viewpoint that is not seen in many textbooks, and that is exactly the point. Zinn writes about the dark sides of United States icons, which students are rarely taught about. Through historical examples, such as Christopher Columbus’ treatment of Native American Arawak Indians, Zinn supports his thesis. In Zinn’s book, he displays his displeasure with the way Americans are taught glorified history, as does another author, James Axtell, in his article, â€Å"Colonial America without the Indians: Counterfactual Reflections†, while in another article by Axtell, â€Å"The Moral Dimensions of 1492†, he states that although the truth should not be hidden, if stressed†¦show more content†¦In Axtell’s second piece he tells the reader that even though we should not hide the fact that Columbus and our other heroes were not perfect, we should not forge t all the good they have done once all the facts are considered. For instance, although Columbus took advantage of the Indians and their goods, he gained wealth, as did the Indians that both had previously never enjoyed. Through his discoveries, Columbus cleared the way for the expansion of the European colonies in the Americas. In contrast Zinn suggests that we should think about what that person did to others to become so famous. Lastly an interesting contrast is between Axtell’s first and second piece. This is particularly so because it is an opposing viewpoint by the same author. In his first piece Axtell demonstrates how when we refer to heroes such as Columbus, we fail to mention (in depth at least) their oppression of others, in this case, the Indians. In his second piece Axtell suggests that if we strictly look from the viewpoint of the downtrodden we can make our heroes out to seem much worse then they really were. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Each of the articles demonstrates historical perspective by how we view leaders throughout history. Zinn’s reason for writing is to prove his displeasure in the glorified way our leaders are presented to American students, and ignoring the side of the lesser people. Zinn wants the reader toShow MoreRelatedThe Greatest People Of History Essay888 Words   |  4 PagesIt has often been said that the greatest people of history were, above all, great communicators. Winston Churchill, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Susan Anthony all had one thing in common: they could speak to all, spread their ideas amongst their peers. This allowed what might have simply been great ideas to become great policies, turned the thoughts of one man into the ponderings of millions. It has eliminated inequality, allowed all to speak at the same level, kings and peasants. Those whoRead MorePeople Hating People throughout History793 Words   |  3 Pagesâ€Å"People who pu t principles before people are people who hate people. They don’t much care about how well it works, just about how right it is †¦ they may even like it better if it inflicts enough pain† (John Barnes). People do not think too much of how their actions affect other human beings. They think making others feel less than who they are is completely ok, even with the level of National Security. It is not ok whatsoever. Instead of dehumanizing people and making them feel worthless and likeRead MoreA History Of The English Church And People991 Words   |  4 PagesWhen Bede was writing A History of the English Church and People the conflicts between Christians and pagans were still not long a ago and Christianity was not yet as dominant in England as it would be in the future. Therefore, the memories of these conflicts were still fresh within some people s minds and Bede made sure to record it. Bede wrote the history of past events of Christianity s struggles, the grea t men that protected it and enforced it. He wrote so that Christians would have anRead MoreA Short History Of The Jewish People1008 Words   |  5 PagesThe history of Jews in host cities often depict a story of success or of failure when it comes to relations between the Jews and the Christians in Europe. Historian Jonathan Elukin, author of Living Together, Living Apart, presents the integration as a success process with rare, and special cases, of failure. On the other side of the spectrum is historian Raymond P. Scheindlin. Scheindlin’s novel, A Short History of the Jewish People, presents many cases of integration between the Christians andRead MoreKorean History: The Choson People1515 Words   |  7 PagesChoson, or â€Å"Morning Freshness†, and thus the Korean people were began. Surrounded on three sides by Russia, China, and Japan, the Korean people have had to endure hundreds of attempts at invasion and domination, including four hundred years of Chinese mil itary rule over the kingdom of Choson, Mongol invasions during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, and, most recently, Japanese Colonization from 1910 to 1945. (Soh, 2006) This has caused the people of Korea to adapt parts of other cultures whileRead MoreThe Hidden History Of People With Disabilities Essay956 Words   |  4 PagesHidden History of People with Disabilities, the playwrights recapitulates on characters who all face some type of disability and it demonstrates perceptions towards disability that have varied significantly from one period of time to another. However, disability is not the impairment itself, but rather attitudes and environmental barriers that result in disability. In one of the plays during the 17th century in the excerpt P.H.*reaks: One of the few ways in which disabled people have alwaysRead MoreA People s History Of The Us1758 Words   |  8 Pageslearned that investigating the past, through the histories that many historians have written and left us as a legacy, is where we can find the causes of many events that occur in our present. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the different perspectives on Christopher Columbus of historian Howard Zinn, as well as the impacts created by the arrival of Columbus to â€Å"The New World† in the history of the United States. Zinn’s book, A People’s History of the US, reveals to us the truth about ColumbusRead MoreEssay on History of the Navajo People1795 Words   |  8 PagesHistory of the Navajo People The people who were going to become the Navajo tribe settled in what would be the mountains of New Mexico in or around the 1600s. Prior to that time the area was the home of the Anasazi (The Ancient Ones.) The Anasazi had lived there for approximately 1200 years but, for unexplained reasons, they abandoned their highly developed dwellings and moved westward and southward. A new group of people, the Athapascans, migrated from what are now Canada, Alaska, and theRead MoreThe History Of White People By Nell Irvin952 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"The History of White People†, is a book written by Nell Irvin Painter. My first impression was very wrong. From the title, I expected a documentary type video about white culture; honestly, I expected the video to concentrate mostly on the historical time period when slavery existed. However, the video is Nell Irvin Painter reading from the beginning, and ends of her book. Rather than the video being about a certain historical time period, it is a literal adaptation of the title. The book is aboutRead MoreThe People s History Of The United States Essay1442 Words   |  6 PagesI know of the People s History of the United States but what about the Non-White People s History of the United States ? Something huge and intricately spun and developed on a scale to put Gibbon to shame, something which may alrea dy exist and due to my inherent whiteness in a Silicon Valley suburb I mistakenly believe I have conjured up as the Next Big Thing, because what my piss-poor in the realms of consensual and non-fetishizing miscegenation people didn t invent, they stole and tied