Zinn and Greene – Compare and Contrast
The American Revolution has been hailed as a turning point in the history of Americans. Some educators use the American Revolution as an example of American willpower, and how America won’t stand for being abused or oppressed in any way. Others might have a different idea of what the revolution represents to them. The majority of the literature students read on the American Revolution tell a story of how America gained its independence through their pure convictions and craving for freedom, but the fact of the matter is that this is only one interpretation of the revolution. Winners write the history, which means a plethora of perspectives and interpretations of the past events lack proper representation. …show more content…
Even though the Americans “won” the war, these historians decide to analyze what it took to finally be called the victor, and what America had to do to earn independence. While Howard Zinn and Jack Greene 's interpretations of the American Revolution share some similar ideas, their opinions on the revolution and how much social change it actually caused differed in certain areas.
Greene and Zinn agree that there was little to no positive political and social change directly following the Americans "success" in the revolution. The Americans fought for freedom from the English government because the majority of Americans felt the English were using America in unjust ways. After years of battling the English both on and off the battlefield, America was finally crowned the victor. A common interpretation of the end of the revolution is that from 1775 – 1783, America fought to free themselves from the shackles that England put on American’s through political and social restraints. Once America was finally free, its people created a brand new society that was built on the idea of equality. Greene and Zinn argue that the years following America’s new found freedom consisted of the same type of oppression of Americans just
The American Revolution has been hailed as a turning point in the history of Americans. Some educators use the American Revolution as an example of American willpower, and how America won’t stand for being abused or oppressed in any way. Others might have a different idea of what the revolution represents to them. The majority of the literature students read on the American Revolution tell a story of how America gained its independence through their pure convictions and craving for freedom, but the fact of the matter is that this is only one interpretation of the revolution. Winners write the history, which means a plethora of perspectives and interpretations of the past events lack proper representation. …show more content…
Even though the Americans “won” the war, these historians decide to analyze what it took to finally be called the victor, and what America had to do to earn independence. While Howard Zinn and Jack Greene 's interpretations of the American Revolution share some similar ideas, their opinions on the revolution and how much social change it actually caused differed in certain areas.
Greene and Zinn agree that there was little to no positive political and social change directly following the Americans "success" in the revolution. The Americans fought for freedom from the English government because the majority of Americans felt the English were using America in unjust ways. After years of battling the English both on and off the battlefield, America was finally crowned the victor. A common interpretation of the end of the revolution is that from 1775 – 1783, America fought to free themselves from the shackles that England put on American’s through political and social restraints. Once America was finally free, its people created a brand new society that was built on the idea of equality. Greene and Zinn argue that the years following America’s new found freedom consisted of the same type of oppression of Americans just