Zinn Conflicted - Module 2

Zinn Conflicted

　

I am very conflicted with Zinn’s statement of how historians should, “…emphasize new possibilities by disclosing those hidden episodes of that past…” (Zinn 12). I feel that that could be very subjective. In history, and as with any well crafted argument, if the author speculates with enough conviction, they can sway the reader to believe what they are saying to be factual. Swaying or entertaining the reader does not make the material historically factual.

I also disagree with his observation that reciting factual events, “…make(s) historians collaborators in the endless cycle of defeat.” (Zinn 11). To me, that sounds so depressing. I would hate to read a history book that regurgitated an endless cycle of defeat. I think that one can write a creative historical text by using descriptive words instead of speculative narration.

With that being said, I feel that Foner’s description of The Pueblo Revolt was creatively crafted to both tell the story and engage emotion. He built-up the tempo with statements such as, “Franciscan friars worked relentlessly to convert Indians to Catholicism, often using intimidation and violence.” (Foner 31) That raised the stakes and elevated the story to the to the explosive conflict. He then concluded with relaying that, “They rebuilt their places of worship, called “kivas”, and resumed sacred dances the friars had banned. ‘The God of the Spaniards’ they should ‘is dead’”. Within six short paragraphs he was able to take the reader through that historical event, invoke compassion and understanding as well as providing knowledge.

Works Cited

Zinn, Howard. A People’s History of the United States Volume I: American Beginnings to         Reconstruction. New York: The New Press, 2003. Print

Foner, Eric. Give me Liberty! An American History. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. 2009. Print