Howard Zinn Critique

Howard Zinn’s main purpose for writing “A People’s History of the United States” is to present history through an objective point of view. One of the ways Dr. Zinn refines the reader's perspective on historiography is through his own personal perspective on the subject. For example, on page ten of his book he writes, “The history of any country, presented as the history of a family, conceals fierce conflicts of interest (sometimes exploding, most often repressed) between conquerors and conquered, masters and slaves, capitalists and workers, dominators and dominated in race and sex.” This message is significant because it serves as a synopsis on what his book focuses on. Zinn implies that although the context of a situation is immutable, the conflicts of interest may be alternated in a way that will benefit a particular person or group of people.

Another key point is how Zinn illustrates the importance of frame of reference that both sides in a historical conflict followed (the victims and the victors.) For example, upon Columbus’ arrival they welcomed him and his crew with numerous goods.In addition, Columbus took advantage of their kindness and forced the Indians to bring back more goods. This is taken from an

account of Bartolome de las Casas in which he describes the Indians customs, “The Indians have no religion. They lack all manner of commerce, neither buying nor selling, and rely exclusively on their natural environment for maintenance, but they put no value on gold and other precious things.” (p 6) The Indians lived a completely different life which meant that their values differed from the Western Europeans. A pattern which Zinn incorporated in his book was that he repeatedly offered the viewpoint of both sides of the conflict and viewed both groups as victims.

From the time of Columbus to the acceptance of slavery throughout colonial America, Zenn distinguishes fact from opinion and exposes the reader to events through different perspectives. This objective viewpoint allows the reader to further comprehend the political history that shaped the United States. With this in mind, the reading tells us that both the Indians and the Western Europeans were constantly in conflict for power. Attempts to gain power and ownership of the land consisted of public humiliation, burning of towns, torture, and other dehumanized actions by both groups (although the Spaniard’s actions are considered as genocide to many historians.) In addition, the reading also informed us of the origin of slavery in European civilization and how it slowly transcended into the colonies. Zenn also compares the behavioral differences that slave owners had between their white servants and their African- American slaves. Another topic in his book was the subordination which African- Americans had to undergo, not only by their slave owners, but by the highest law of a colony as well. For example, if a black and a white male were prosecuted for the exact same crime, the black male would receive a much more unjust punishment than that of the white male.
Overall, Howard Zinn’s evaluation of the history of the United States was very objective by always stating the different point of views on the topics discussed.

When reading the first three chapters, Dr. Zenn was concise in getting his message across to his readers. He made it even easier to comprehend through analyzing comparative history and using interpretation to make his point clear. To conclude, the history of United States is not solemly shaped by the victories of the Spaniards or the Whites, but also by the victories and defeats of the Indians, of the African- American slaves, each were just as important as the other. “The cry of the poor is not alway just, but if you don’t listen to it, you will never know what justice is.” (p

10)