Zinn Chapter 1

The author's thesis is, that in this book, he want to portray the United States history differently. Not like its been taught to children and high school kids across the United States. He wants to hold nothing back in describing the events "My point is not to grieve for the victims and denounce the executioners," he just want to tell history throught the eyes of the misfortunate at that time.

Howard Zinn is argueing in this chapter that, was the genocide that happened to the indians worth it and could it have been avoided. He leans more to the point that it probaly couldn't have been avoided. He references other times in history where people have died; so others could come in a build the place up. This is exactly what Christopher Columbus did to the Indians in the Bahamas. A genocide occured under his power and the people he left in charge. He killed millions of people by the sword and knife, but he and the new settlers probaly killed just as many by all the new diseases too. It was so bad women would kill their babies, and Indians of all ages were committing suicide, just so they would fall under the knife or be raped. Howard Zinn then points out if the settlers really did make the place better and more prosperous. The Indians had so much already. They knew crops, hunting, fishing, climate patterns and so much more. They had equal rights for both men and women, and taught their children good through word of mouth. The only thing they didn't have that was the same from the new settlers was a written language and the greed for gold and other jewels.

What would have happened eventually if the Indians kept giving their land away peacefully, like they wanted to instead of it just being taken from them, would they have eventually gotten mad enough to fight back for it?
Did Christopher Columbus say all those things about God to get other people going and believing, or did he really think he was doing the right thing by killing all those Indians?

I was personally shocked by the whole reading. I had no clue Christopher Columbus did all those terrible things to the Indians. I was always taught that he was a hero and we celebrated him coming to the Americas on Columbus Day, and now realize that we are just celebrating him committing a genocide. I was clued to the pages as I read and couldn't read fast enought to see what happened next because I was so alarmed. I felt mislead for most of my life because I had the wrong idea for the man and his followers. Then I read what Zinn had to say and I agreed with him, history has been told from a one sided view a lot. I loved reading the other sides view and thinking about what they had to go through just so i could be hear now. I personally loved reading it and can't wait to read more of the chapters. I feel he does a great job at telling the whole story and having a very non-biased view towards either side.