Summary Of Howard Zinn's Analysis Of The Columbian Era

Howard Zinn’s analysis of the Columbian Era differs from chapter 2 of the online text by shining a new light on Columbus’s actions using the perspective of the Native Americans. Rather than being objective on Christopher Columbus's discoveries of the New World, Zinn opts to reveal Columbus’ personal thoughts and actions. Through this point of view, readers can gain a new understanding of how the Native Americans and Columbus viewed each other, creating contradictions against the vague textbook descriptions. In the online text and the lessons in secondary school, Columbus was viewed as a heroic figure because of his findings. These texts maintained an objective description on how his actions influenced future explorers and other countries. For

Based on this example of Columbus in textbooks, it can be concluded that historical interpretations aim for objectivity for controversial topics and focus on how the topic affects the rest of the world. On the other hand, Zinn prioritized using the “have not” perspective and analyzing Columbus through the eyes of the Native Americans. He exposes how historical interpretations of events allow “the quiet acceptance of conquest and murder in the name of progress” and seeks to utilize an honest view on the effects of Columbus’s findings, especially the impacts on the native inhabitants of the New World. For example, Zinn elaborates on how teachings about Columbus’s explorations imply that Columbus positively affected the natives by civilizing them. However, in reality, the explorers were entering a land “where the culture was complex” and the native societies were thriving in their own way (A People’s History of the United States, 1997, 15). Though some may say that Columbus introducing them to civilized life was him doing them a favor, one must understand that the definition of how life should be lived varies from one person to