Howard Zinn Chapter Summary

At times, history appears to be just like a deliberately curated set of truths, figures, and events that when taken together advance a particular philosophy or perspective. Along these lines, Americans concentrate only on individuals, places, and events that maintain the thought of American exceptionalism. Wars and the success of men dominate the lives of ladies, and Europeans are given priority. The quote by W.E.B. DuBois underscores the intrinsic falseness in imminent history, given that in some capacity there will dependably be editorializing. Howard Zinn likewise reassembles American history in a way that subverts the worldview that had been taught identified with the matchless quality of private enterprise and the white-washing of key defining moments. A People's History of the United …show more content…
DuBois on his test. These writers uncover the agonizing parts of American history, with a specific end goal to give a more honest picture of occasions and how they affected groups other than the white men in authority. As to First Nations or Native Americans, Zinn scrutinizes Columbus' own newsletters and requests that the reader view the developing of colonization from the point of view of the general population whose land, employment, society, and lifestyle would be horribly stolen and assaulted. At the point when "the past is told from the perspective of governments, conquerors, ambassadors, leaders," the outcome is a skewed form of history intended just to support the idea that Europeans by one means or another conveyed enlightening power to the savages they experienced. (Zinn, Chapter 1) Schoolchildren are taught to revere Columbus, and make idols out of slave proprietors like Thomas Jefferson. As DuBois points out, the fact that these statements have for so long stay unchallenged is the core of what isn't right with history – and with the nation. Indoctrinating kids is a certain method for propagating forms of social injustice and