Howard Zinn’s Analysis on Some Important Historical Events (Essay Sample)

Howard Zinn’s Analysis on Some Important Historical Events

Understanding past events provide important lessons with potential of shaping the future (Corbett et al. 22). For instance, studying events and scenarios that led to major world wars could help governments avoid such wars. However, obtaining such lessons can only be achieved if historical events are interpreted accurately. This essay reviews Howard Zinn’s interpretation of historical events and how it compares to interpretations by other history scholars.
Howard Zinn’s analysis on some important historical events such as the experiences of Columbus, slavery and colonization provides interesting views about interpretation of history. For instance, most history scholars who write about colonization mention the evils of such events but focus on the social gains achieved through the events (Whitson 97). While Zinn acknowledges that such historical events have played a significant role in furthering social progress, he believes that the negative experiences about such events are downplayed by most contemporary historians. In other words, Zinn tries to give credit to persons and communities that had to endure hostilities through various historical events. For instance, he criticizes how historians acknowledge Columbus atrocities towards Indians and then quickly dismiss them as unfortunate events that can be rationalized and accepted (Whitson 97). Zinn’s goal is to acknowledge the suffering of people who suffered in historical events and appreciate their roles in shaping history.