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Compare And Contrast Zinn Vs Schweikart

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The first chapter of both A People’s History of the United States ( Zinn, 1980) and A Patriot’s History of the United States (Schweikart and Allen, 2004) tells the story of the discovery of the New World. Beginning with the landing of Columbus in the Bahamas, these accounts are told from two separate perspectives. Zinn often refers to the telling of history as a tale between victims and executioners, saying that in the “inevitable taking of sides which comes from selection and emphasis in History” he prefers to stand on the side of the victim, whereas Schweikart and Allen tend to stand behind the executioner. Much of A Patriot’s History is spent arguing the accuracy of the number of natives murdered by invading European entities, attempting to minimize the blame reflected on these executioners. However, Schweikart and Allen have access to more modern technology and theory seeing as A Patriot’s History was w r i t t e n t w e n t y ­ f o u r y e a r s a f t e r Z i n n ’ s P e o p l e ’ s H i s t o r y w a s w r i t t e n . Upon reading both accounts of these events it is quite clear which side of history each party stands on. Schweikart …show more content…

Zinn asks this question in A People’s History of the United States. He questions whether or not it was necessary for the explorers of the New World to cause so much destruction. Through his writing, he seems skeptical of these “sacrifices”. In A Patriot’s History of the United States, however, this question never arises, it never even appears to cross the author 's mind, their main focus is on who is to blame for the bloodshed and horror. The one thing that both authors (and many others) agree on is that the road that began with Columbus and continues now in the development of this New World is a messy one. It is a road filled with blood, oppression and

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