Howard Zinn Ch.1
Howard Zinn: A People’s History of the United States
In the first chapter of A Peoples History of the United States by Howard Zinn, the main focus is on the Indians, Christopher Columbus and the human progress and the author’s way of presenting factual information. Christopher Columbus is introduced as the famous navigator and explorer of the “New World”. We were taught in school that he discovered America and that was just enough for our tiny brains to like him because America is built on freedom and justice. We assumed that the man who “discovered” the place we call home had the same moral and ideals. Sadly, what was neglected to be taught in school was that our ideas about Christopher Columbus weren’t entirely true, infact we were even given the whole story. Christopher Columbus motives for his voyage were; power, control and greed. Spain’s King and Queen promised him great rewards for whatever he would find Ten percent of all profits, governorship over new-found lands and a title that would bring him fame. Columbus, despite all of this, still went looking for money anywhere he could. On October 12, a sailor named Rodrigo, spotted land. It is said that the first man to spot land would win a yearly pension of ten thousand maravedis, which were the coins of currency, for the rest of their life. Columbus, instead of letting his fellow shipmate get the yearly pension he deserved, he claimed he had seen the land before Rodrigo and the he received the reward.
The task was to find gold and spices in the Indies and Asia, though Columbus never reached what he was originally intended to go, he did hit land. He landed on in island in the Bahamas, that was home to the Arawak Indians. Historians say that the Arawak Indians did not have an aggressive outlook toward the explorers, but instead they remained to themselves. Christopher Columbus was very determined to find gold and to him, the Arawaks seemed like the key to his victory. The Arawaks happened to just be on the
In the first chapter of A Peoples History of the United States by Howard Zinn, the main focus is on the Indians, Christopher Columbus and the human progress and the author’s way of presenting factual information. Christopher Columbus is introduced as the famous navigator and explorer of the “New World”. We were taught in school that he discovered America and that was just enough for our tiny brains to like him because America is built on freedom and justice. We assumed that the man who “discovered” the place we call home had the same moral and ideals. Sadly, what was neglected to be taught in school was that our ideas about Christopher Columbus weren’t entirely true, infact we were even given the whole story. Christopher Columbus motives for his voyage were; power, control and greed. Spain’s King and Queen promised him great rewards for whatever he would find Ten percent of all profits, governorship over new-found lands and a title that would bring him fame. Columbus, despite all of this, still went looking for money anywhere he could. On October 12, a sailor named Rodrigo, spotted land. It is said that the first man to spot land would win a yearly pension of ten thousand maravedis, which were the coins of currency, for the rest of their life. Columbus, instead of letting his fellow shipmate get the yearly pension he deserved, he claimed he had seen the land before Rodrigo and the he received the reward.
The task was to find gold and spices in the Indies and Asia, though Columbus never reached what he was originally intended to go, he did hit land. He landed on in island in the Bahamas, that was home to the Arawak Indians. Historians say that the Arawak Indians did not have an aggressive outlook toward the explorers, but instead they remained to themselves. Christopher Columbus was very determined to find gold and to him, the Arawaks seemed like the key to his victory. The Arawaks happened to just be on the