Columbus

This chapter, written by a Howard Zinn, focuses on the most negative aspects involved in American history, expressly the cruel and unusual treatment of the Arawack Indians who greeted Christopher Columbus on his first adventure to the Americas. The man, hungry for power, immediately oppressed the natives of his so called "new world". The people were extremely generous, far from modest, and "remarkably hospitable”, therefore highly subject to slavery and violence in the form of modern weapons and technology, so to speak. The author then proceeds to generalize the majority of the world's history into this monstrosity of war, tears, domination, poverty, oppression, and degradation. Zinn goes on to say that historians often enjoy glorifying heroic events yet smother truthful stories of murder and other shameful acts. “…One reason these atrocities are still with us is that we have learned to bury them in a mass of other facts, as radioactive wastes are buried in containers in the earth [Howard Zinn]”. While yes, many students miss out on hearing about this tragedy and that tragedy, yet, I somehow recall devoting entire curriculums in high school to the travesty that was Nazi Germany, to the interment camps Japanese Americans were forced to endure during the Second World War, to the injustice of slavery during the Civil War and before, and yes, even to the horrors faced by the Indians upon European invasion. While I do believe that it’s only fair to give the victims of past oppressive governments, I do not believe that it is absolutely necessary to focus only on the most heinous of history’s moments nor do I believe that it is necessary to leave them out entirely. What I do disagree with is the portrayal of the American government, though riddled with scandal, as a self-serving, brain-washing, power hungry institution. I happen to have a modicum of faith in the government. I like to think positively about the future of our nation. I mean, it’s obviously improved since the days of Columbus so how is it fair to say that we haven’t learned of the horrors of our history?