Zinn's Creative History





Introduction

Howard Zinn takes sides - as well as his autobiography is a privileged case - to make the story rather than a breakthrough for our times. The story can be a symbol of justification for the present situation as well as the powers that dominate it.

What is at stake is a radical history where courage, firmness as well as humor act as a reminder that activates this. Zinn urges historians as well as other social scientists to sharpen their perceptions of the miseries of the oppressed, to expose the pretensions of government neutrality or good deeds, exposing the ideological apologies for the existing order, as well as recapture those few moments ago showed that 'the possibility of a way of life much better than that which has dominated the land here (Quezada, 2008).

Zinn defines radical history in terms of a struggle for five goals:

Intensification of public awareness about this social injustice.

Exposing the hypocrisy as well as insensitivity of governments.

Exposure of hidden ideology - or false value system - rationalizing injustice.

Rediscovery of lost opportunities in the past that can serve as models for the progressive future.

Recognition that reform movements by well-intentioned can go wrong.

Discussion

Howard Zinn writes to bring about resistance to the major powers at the time that people strive to realize their ideals.

When writing The People's history of the United States, one expected an awareness of class conflict, racial injustice, gender inequality as well as American arrogance. But we also wanted to expose the resistance power of the establishment, the refusal of the Indians to die as well as disappear, the rebellion of blacks against slavery and, later, against segregation, strikes organized by the working class (Zinn, Ross, & Bornstein, 2008).

This is because our aim is to omit these acts of resistance, these victories, albeit limited of Americans would mean you believe that power lies solely in the hands of those who have firearms or possess wealth. One tried to remember that people who apparently have nothing (workers, blacks, women) when they organize as well as protest on a national scale, assume a power no government can suppress easily.

One does not want to invent victories popular where they do not exist. But find that writing a history book boils down to enumerating a litany of failures means do historians mere employees of a spiral down, seemingly inexorable.

If the story you want to be creative, anticipating a possible future without, however, denying the past, it is necessary, in my opinion, highlight the new possibilities as well as reveal all these episodes buried, during which many people showed their ability to resist, even sometimes briefly, to unite as well as sometimes winning. One assumes, or perhaps hope, that our future lies more in the moments of solidarity hidden in our past than in centuries of wars so solidly present in our memories (Lum, 2012).

Historian Howard Zinn shows the history of the United States, which is not taught in schools as well as ...