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Examples Of Change Small Acts Multiplied By Howard Zinn

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Change; Small Acts Multiplied by A Million Howard Zinn was of Jewish decent that spent much of his youth in Lower east Manhattan , Zinn worked in the Brooklyn Navy Yard and served as a bombardier in Europe in WW II. Later attended Columbia University, received a doctorate in history in 1956, and became head of the history department at Spelman College, an African-American school in Atlanta, thus this is where Zinn’s political extremism originates. Zinn's experiences with members of the Civil Rights Movement and the Anti-War Movement shaped his philosophy on the need to make a difference beginning with one person, no matter how much of a resistance against the person. Howard Zinn depicts the struggles of political reformist during the era …show more content…

Peaceful protests, civil disobedience, exposing the truth, and speaking out for the greater morals of every event where the main movements by Zinn. Zinn believed that “small acts, when multiplied by millions of people can transform the world.”(208) The main idea of Zinns experiences as portrayed his memoir, “You Can’t Be Neutral on a Moving Train”, is that the world is constantly changing, new laws are being passed , events take place, lies are being told, oppression and thus it is left to the youth to stand up for what is just. Zinn provided an example of leadership , and exposition for the lies that were hidden from the public , he would not turn his head and would not remain …show more content…

Since prior to this time, most Americans would be less inclined to jeopardize their careers for social reform. Zinn provided an example of courage, and the voice of reason against the lies and the oppression. He believed in the true essence of democracy. People should be able to speak against what is wrong, nothing is “fixed…what had seemed immovable could move.” (34) “I learned something from this: that the high school years must be the most important years in shaping the social consciousness of young people, because at no other level do parents and school officials become more hysterical at the possibility that the students will be exposed to ideas which challenge the authority of government, of school administrations, of parents.” (119) He was set against the need to create individuals that were free thinkers, that could think what is right and wrong and speak up in a true

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Directly after the end of World War II, the United States faced a time like no other—the Cold War. The fear of communism and the totalitarian Soviet Union grew rampant, and the possibility of an impending all-out nuclear war gripped American minds. During this time, the fear of a breach in national security heightened, and a loyalty review program in the government was introduced by President Truman. Soon, this practice crept into society, as everyday citizens undertook the responsibility of “policing” each other—determining each other’s loyalty, with suspicion constantly clouding one’s mind. Amidst this, American historian Henry Steele Commager, a product of the University of Chicago “…where he received his Ph.B. and M.A. in philosophy…and returned for his Ph.D.” ("Commager, Henry Steele”), stepped onto the scene to dispute the anti-communist crusade he noticed was running rampant in his nation.

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In chapter 15, “Self-Help in Hard Times”, Zinn’s overarching point is that unity among workers was not simple to achieve, and that white supremacy was a powerful, deadly force after the war. To support and further discuss these concepts, Zinn points out how relations between the American Federation of Labor and the Industrial Workers of the World were often tense, how city life often changed drastically during times of strike, and how immigration laws during the twenties began to favor Anglo-Saxons. One such way Zinn showcases these ideas is by describing how drastically life changed for cities when workers went on strike, hoping for an increase in their wages. As the strike continued on throughout February of 1919, Zinn recalls how all services, except for those that were consider essential to daily life, ceased.

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Both Johnson and Zinn had interesting views on the topics and they also had similar points. However, Johnson stated that Americans wanted more land and they were not satisfied after the Louisiana Purchase. This is where the Manifest Destiny came about to continue expansion. They wanted to take over the whole western portion of the continent, in order to spread the ideologies of Democracy and Republicanism. The South especially wanted to the expansion because they wanted to extend to slavery to maintain their power and balance in Congress (pg. 372).

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Zinn’s speech shows a clear indication that he is confident in his own field and opinion. An example is when he openly criticizes Hollywood’s poor structure; “It’s a structure where money and profit are absolutely the first consideration: before art, before aesthetics, before human values” (2). He is brutally honest about his opinion on Hollywood’s capitalistic outlook. He claims that they do not focus on the true priorities that a movie should have and instead are only focused on making money rather than telling a good story. Hollywood only tells people what they want to hear rather than what they should hear to make them better people.

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During the 20th century, the Vietnam War had a profound impact on Americans, but there was a side of the story that was less known- voices from the poor. In Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech “Beyond Vietnam- A Time to Break Silence”, delivered at Riverside Church in New York City on April 4, 1967, he claims that the American involvement in the Vietnam War is unjust. King uses personal anecdotes, elaborate word choice, and reliable facts to persuade his audience of the injustice of the war.

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Historian as a Citizen written by noted political science Professor Howard Zinn , regarding historian 's views of human behavior. The passage reminds the reader to critique their perceptions of history and politics. Making the compelling argument that the position of the historian keeps evolving with the times and sociopolitical landscape. Ultimately , the proper role of the historian is to understand how history affects the present. Zinn starts off by saying " Traditionally , he is passive observer, one who looks for sequential patterns in the past as a guide to the future, or else describes the historical events as unique and disorderly- but without participating himself in attempts to change pattern or tidy the disorder" (Zinn 43).

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In 1993, Scott Russell Sanders responds to an essay written by Salman Rushdie, to counteract the idea of “people who transplant themselves in ideas rather than places.” Sanders provides the American public with acknowledgements of counter-arguments, historical references, and patriotic appeals to convey his message that “movement is inherently good” isn’t as it seems from Rushdie’s point of view. Sanders respects Rushdie’s views on migration and uses them to strengthen his argument through countering Rushdie’s views. Sanders cites Rushdie’s claim that “migrants must, of necessity, make a new imaginative relationship with the world, because of the loss of familiar habitats” (47-50). Sanders acknowledges Rushdie’s view on migrants opening up to new ideas due to them leaving their homelands.

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The Inaugural speech by John F. Kennedy is a landmark type of speech that was given to the American populace in order to inspire confidence and to provoke them to take immediate action. His speech made extensive use of rhetorical devices in order to successfully express his goals. His stylistic devices include antithesis, parallelism, and varying structure flows in order to attract attention and to show what his service will accomplish. Kennedy details “a new generation of Americans” by contrasting old and new with his antithesis. He states, “Symbolizes an end as well as a beginning” and “signifies renewal as well as change” in order to do so.

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On the day that the United States of America declared to became independent, everything has changed since then. That day was one of the most significant historical events in the US history line; people of US began to have a completely different life. Thus the difference of political situation after the declaration of independence, US began to refresh everything that was necessary, and the law took the priority. Howard Zinn and Anthony Arnove both were a writer, editor, and social activist that was best known for the anti-war movement.

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Would you rather sit back and let lying and greed take over? Or never be afraid and stand up for what is right? In Faulkner’s speech to young adults graduating in 1951, he sets the mood for change. Faulkner uses historical anecdotes, sophisticated but comprehensible words, long and complex sentence structure as well as use of second person with diction in order for the students to comprehend good versus evil in the world.

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Fridman develops his argument by starting off with the background of the topic, taking everyday experiences and asking readers to think about certain senerios, also comparison with others. "How long can America remain a world-class power if we constantly emphasize social skills and physical prowess over academic achievement and intellectual ability?" Fridman ends with this question He has the readers thinking about what he has said, using his point of view to over look a serious question. He also uses realistic senerios liked what the average American parent is thinking. Fridman develops his argument by putting you in the shoes of how people think.

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He describes the objection as, “all men desire the apparent good, but have no control over the appearance, but the end appears to each man in a form answering to his character” (1114b).   This view argues that all people pursue that which seems good, but some people cannot see the true good, which is out of their control.   The immediate implication of this objection, if it is indeed true, suggests that “no one is responsible for his own evildoing” (1114b).

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Gilded Age in America sprung from the remains of American Civil War fought for freedom. Civil War broke out in 1861 with the election of Abraham Lincoln as the President. Out of many reasons that paved way for the Civil War, the most prominent and most important one was the freedom movements for slaves. These freedom movements started with the conflict between South and North. South developed as an agrarian community and was economically dependent on it.

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"Be the change you wish to see in the world." - Joseph Ranseth. To get ahead in the world you have to embody what you want to see. In a world where social media dominates our news sources and everyone has a camera the good things done seem to go unnoticed. The strong divide of hatred has become a chasm in the blanket of freedom that cloaks the nation.

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As Americans, we view the Constitution as a stepping stone to making the great country we live in today. Yet, we the people of the United States failed to realize another component in order to form a perfect union. Which is to establish and promote equal opportunities for a quality education for all. However, we live in a society where social locators such as class, gender, and race are huge factors in the determination of one’s educational future.

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