Summary: A History Of The American People By Paul Johnson
Courtney Hart
In the preface of Paul Johnsons “A History of the American People” he shares with us his view on America and the study of it and its people. He tells us that his book is not his opinion but the facts about America as fully and honestly as he could deliver them. Growing up he learned little to almost none about America’s history and the people, he mostly learned Greek, Roman, and English history. One of his tutors A. J. P. Taylor said to him “You can study American history when you have graduated, if you can bear it.” As you could imagine that sparked his interest of the subject and made him want to learn. His first encounters with American history were with officers of the US Sixth Fleet and in the 1950s when he was working in Pairs as journalist. In his book he …show more content…
He does not care to qualify into black, whites, or Native American he loves everyone’s American history and cares to tell all their stories. In the afterword of Howard Zinns “A People’s History of the United States” he tells us his view of American history as “there is no such thing as a pure fact, innocent of interpretation.” He believes that for every fact there is judgment and other facts being left out. He tells us that he will tell the stories of wars not through the eyes of the generals and diplomats but through the eyes of the GIs, the parents who got the telegram of “the enemy.” He comes to find out how twisted and wrong the history of America is by realizing that it’s only a “white mans history.” Not very much of America’s history deals with the Native American’s or the African American’s, but they were there too just as much as the white man. He explains that from when he was in first grade to grade school they only taught him the white man’s history behind the landing of Christopher Columbus and the famous Louisiana, Florida purchase. Never once did they tell us what really truly happened behind those events and how awful it really
In the preface of Paul Johnsons “A History of the American People” he shares with us his view on America and the study of it and its people. He tells us that his book is not his opinion but the facts about America as fully and honestly as he could deliver them. Growing up he learned little to almost none about America’s history and the people, he mostly learned Greek, Roman, and English history. One of his tutors A. J. P. Taylor said to him “You can study American history when you have graduated, if you can bear it.” As you could imagine that sparked his interest of the subject and made him want to learn. His first encounters with American history were with officers of the US Sixth Fleet and in the 1950s when he was working in Pairs as journalist. In his book he …show more content…
He does not care to qualify into black, whites, or Native American he loves everyone’s American history and cares to tell all their stories. In the afterword of Howard Zinns “A People’s History of the United States” he tells us his view of American history as “there is no such thing as a pure fact, innocent of interpretation.” He believes that for every fact there is judgment and other facts being left out. He tells us that he will tell the stories of wars not through the eyes of the generals and diplomats but through the eyes of the GIs, the parents who got the telegram of “the enemy.” He comes to find out how twisted and wrong the history of America is by realizing that it’s only a “white mans history.” Not very much of America’s history deals with the Native American’s or the African American’s, but they were there too just as much as the white man. He explains that from when he was in first grade to grade school they only taught him the white man’s history behind the landing of Christopher Columbus and the famous Louisiana, Florida purchase. Never once did they tell us what really truly happened behind those events and how awful it really