a peoples history

A People’s History of the United States 1492 – Present by Howard Zinn takes a realistic viewpoint that is not seen in many textbooks, and that is exactly the point. Zinn writes about the dark sides of United States icons, which students are rarely taught about. Through historical examples, such as Christopher Columbus’ treatment of Native American Arawak Indians, Zinn supports his thesis. In Zinn’s book, he displays his displeasure with the way Americans are taught glorified history, as does another author, James Axtell, in his article, “Colonial America without the Indians: Counterfactual Reflections”, while in another article by Axtell, “The Moral Dimensions of 1492”, he states that although the truth should not be hidden, if stressed too much it could make our heroes seem much worse then they truly were.

In each of the articles there are similarities and differences that can be compared and contrasted with each other. The main example of all the points deals with the explorer, Christopher Columbus, and the things that are ignored when people speak of him. For example, Columbus took many Native American Indians to Europe to be sold as slaves, and while on the ships thousands died due to lack of necessities. Many Indians even committed suicide to avoid becoming captives. Axtell’s first article and Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States, are comparable, in that each author feels that students are merely being taught from the viewpoint o...