African Americans I have always been interested in history. During my younger years it was always my favorite class and I always gave extra attention to my studies in those classes. I even took additional history course that were not required at every level of education. It is disappointing to know that I was lied to in every course I took. Both the text books that were assigned as well as online resources that were used, changed facts about how events truly took place in our past. Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States takes a stand against this type of thinking and education.
Zinn’s perspective Zinn takes the perspective of the oppressed throughout our history and tells how life truly was for these people. Zinn takes a …show more content…
Zinn did a marvelous job of portraying how African Americans were treated, he used quotes and writings from slaves as well as those around slaves to paint a picture of what life was truly like for these people. The slave trade begins in chapter 2 when Zinn states “white servants had not yet been brought over in sufficient quantity. Besides they did not come out of slavery, and did not have to do more than contract their labor for more than a few years to get their passage and start in the new world” (Zinn, 2003, 25). “Black slaves were the answer” (Zinn, 2003, 25). From the very beginning of our young new world it was known that they could not thrive let alone survive without having slaves. Not indentured servants or white slaves that would work and gain their freedom, they needed a group they could fully control. The obvious choice was the people of Africa because they were seen as inferior, savages, and non-civilized. However, this was far from the …show more content…
This is something else that is often used in arguments by ignorant people who have had their history “whitewashed”. The truth is most of the Africans who captured and sold others into slavery did so because they were caught up in the slave trade themselves. If they did not comply with the Europeans and bring in a certain number of people to be sold into slavery they would be captured and forced into slavery themselves. This meant comply or become a slave yourself. (Jama
Zinn’s perspective Zinn takes the perspective of the oppressed throughout our history and tells how life truly was for these people. Zinn takes a …show more content…
Zinn did a marvelous job of portraying how African Americans were treated, he used quotes and writings from slaves as well as those around slaves to paint a picture of what life was truly like for these people. The slave trade begins in chapter 2 when Zinn states “white servants had not yet been brought over in sufficient quantity. Besides they did not come out of slavery, and did not have to do more than contract their labor for more than a few years to get their passage and start in the new world” (Zinn, 2003, 25). “Black slaves were the answer” (Zinn, 2003, 25). From the very beginning of our young new world it was known that they could not thrive let alone survive without having slaves. Not indentured servants or white slaves that would work and gain their freedom, they needed a group they could fully control. The obvious choice was the people of Africa because they were seen as inferior, savages, and non-civilized. However, this was far from the …show more content…
This is something else that is often used in arguments by ignorant people who have had their history “whitewashed”. The truth is most of the Africans who captured and sold others into slavery did so because they were caught up in the slave trade themselves. If they did not comply with the Europeans and bring in a certain number of people to be sold into slavery they would be captured and forced into slavery themselves. This meant comply or become a slave yourself. (Jama