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Themes Of A People's History Of The United States By Howard Zinn

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A People’s History of the U.S
What I'm going to talk about is three major themes of the book, A People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn. One of the themes I found that was an important part of the book was Zinn focusing on the people with no power and how they got treated over the years because of being a minority. The second theme that I also found important was how the American people have thrown their support to causes that seem bigoted and foolish. The third theme that I found important was the enormous transformations that happened in the United States.
The Minorities with No Power When reading the book, A People’s History of the United States, it’s basically telling us that if you are not white and rich, then your life is …show more content…

All this would propose that many slaves tried to rebel. In many initial American colonies, slaves made up an important chunk of the population. Intelligent slave masters did not take believe in the myth that Africans slaves were naturally submissive. They knew that, if they continued to torture their slaves, they would face the likelihood of a riot and change. The key point is realizing that racism in American history wasn’t a natural thing. In part, American leaders encouraged hostility between whites and blacks in order to strengthen their own position in society (Zinn, 1995, …show more content…

He shows how the powerful Establishment used violence and publicity to frustrate the American people’s efforts to fight for change. However, American society has seen important changes for the better. For example, women won the right to vote, black slaves won their freedom and the right to education. Zinn argues that changes to American society have been small and fairly shallow, meaning that they have strengthened the power of the Establishment. There is an important distinction between radical, revolutionary change, which is fundamental changes to the system of American society, especially in the arena of property and ownership. While improvement may benefit people and improve the average American’s quality of life, it also staves off the major change that could alter people’s lives for the better and instead continues injustice and inequality in

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The history of the United States of America is vast and complex, encompassing thousands of events that all helped form it into a modern day superpower. When reflecting on the history of America, many historians remind us of major events that changed the course of the country's development. Many authors of these works analyze American historical events through the perspective of the people living through that event or through a 21st-Century viewpoint. However, there are fewer authors who are able to successfully illustrate more about an event than what can be visibly seen or inferred by a reader. Mark Feige, a history professor and writer, is one of the few authors who is able to uncover additional information in American history.

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It is evident that all these people generally conformed to the common action of whipping the minorities as it stimulated the sense of being dominant. Knowing that whipping was a frequented and justified action, it implies that many desired for control and authority. Additionally, brainwashing the minorities was a common method for obtaining dominance which Douglass clarifies, “If they have anything to say of their masters, it is generally in their masters’ favor... I have been frequently asked, when a slave, if I had a kind master, and do not remember ever to have given a negative answer” (Douglass 16). It is visible that the slaveholders had brainwashed the slaves to only express what they prefer to hear from the lower class.

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The beginning of the 20th century brought about great societal, cultural and economic change in the United States. Americans had developed a new, refreshed look on the world. Political activists nationwide were pushing a progressive agenda, supporting issues such as prohibition, women’s suffrage and anti-trust laws. These new ideas and perspectives represented a “rebirth” of the American people.

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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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Loistean, I agree that by making the African slaves did not mean that one could take away their spirits, inherited toughness and cultural beliefs. And because of how they were taught and their upbringing, some would not allow the white man to strip or deprive them of their freedom. The dedication to their families and the men being the head of the tribes and families was another hard blow for the captives to accept. This is also why some committed suicide and would not allow themselves to be abused, murdered, and segregated from their families.

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During the 1800s slaves comprised most of the economy in the Southern part of the United States, forcefully taken from their countries to serve as tools in the homes of others, and deprived of education and knowledge of their lives. Because of the free labor provided, many disagreed with the abolishment of slavery and argued to keep slavery in the system. Mr. Auld, a slave master states, “A slave should know nothing but to obey his master—to do as he is told to do.” This quote gives an example of the cruelty slaves were forced to tolerate, and how they were brainwashed to follow every command like a dog to his wretched owner. In the Narrative of a Life of Fredrick Douglass, Douglass was forced to endure the cruel commands of his master, while

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This becomes one of the most important parts of Zinn 's argument as he begins to "question" and better assess what defines "progress”. A People’s History of the United States begins with a retelling of

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It was heinous how the masters treated all the slaves. The masters had different reasons for punishing, whipping, and discriminating against the slaves. “The wretchedness of slavery, and the blessedness of freedom were perpetually before me. I have been frequently asked how I felt when I found myself in a free State.” (pg. 82)

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One of those things was slave codes. Which gave more power to the slave owners and even less power to the slaves on page 434, it says "in existence since the 1700's slave codes were written to prevent the event white southerners dreaded most-became more severe. This shows that the slaves had absolutely no access to freedom to the slave codes another way that the slaves resisted was that they faked an illness, so they can get revenge to their masters on page 437 it gives a specific explanation on how they faked their illness. It says "For the most part enslaved people resisted slavery by working slowly or pretending to be ill. Occasionally resistance took more active forms, such as setting fire to a plantation building or breaking tools.

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Power and privilege is one of the most common discussions regarding issues in America. It is having the freedom and opportunities more than others, and often times this power and privilege isn’t earned it is given to those unfairly. The factors that decide between those who have power and those who don’t are becoming almost unbelievable. The simple color of one’s skin, something they have no control over can put you at a disadvantage for no reason beyond the fact that your skin is not the same as someone else’s. Two examples of this lack of balanced power come from first, the article referred to in class “Song of El Sur” which discussions the lyrics of songs written by discriminated Mexicans who come to America in search of a better life, and find that the south is not the answer they were looking for.

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Slavery in the United States was a brutal and dehumanizing institution that subjected enslaved people to unimaginable suffering stripping them of their humanity . However, despite their oppression, enslaved people found ways to resist their masters and disrupt the slave system. Through Oppression and exploitation. including running away, rebellion, sabotage, and cultural resistance. The resistance of slaves to their oppressive conditions is one of the most significant forms of resistance in history.

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Each belief obtained in this world is mirrored by its opposite allowing those to decide which reflection they choose to abide to. In America, one’s perspective defined what each person stood for. During the Civil Rights Movement, controversy stood at the base of the country as many chose “a side” to be on as an argument of what was deemed constitutional and unconstitutional continued. However, although many may have had their separate beliefs, the common ground consisted of the principles of democracy written in the Constitution. Although, it was a less popular belief highlighted during the Civil rights movement, the whites too faced issues with the loss of their principles of democracy as the federal government continuously abused their power.

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