“To what extent did Howard Zinn change your understanding and perspective of Christopher Columbus?”
Shea Pridgen August 25th, 2015 4th period Christopher Columbus was malicious and had more evil intent than we were taught as young children. Howard Zinn’s book, A People’s History of the United States, has the power to open minds on the topic of American history, more specifically Christopher Columbus. Zinn explores topics that people would be genuinely surprised that actually happened. It’s not our fault for not being aware of our history. If we had a full awareness of what this country is actually built on, then the perceptions that others have built about this country would be ruined. We are introduced to the history of this country around the first grade, so most of us are around the age of six and seven. The first person we learn about is the “founder of this country”, Christopher Columbus. We are taught that the trip was originally
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“My eyes have seen these acts so foreign to human nature and now I tremble as I write.”. "[There are] endless testimonies [that] prove the pacific and temperament of the natives... but our work was to ravage, kill and destroy." He was so determined to meet the needs of Spain 's royal family that he disregarded basic human nature. "The admiral was so blind as those who came after him and he was so anxious to please them [royal family] that he committed irreparable crimes against the Indians".
Columbus was quite more devious and had more malicious intent than we are previously taught. The testimonies of beheadings, the beginning of the slave trade and the equivalence of Indians to mules can prove this. Being unaware of Christopher Columbus 's horrific actions and then reading Zinn 's book, is really an eye opener for not just Christopher Columbus but for American history as a