Howard Zinn (1922-2010) Was One

Howard Zinn (1922-2010) was one of the foremost American historians asking us to rethink not only what we have been taught, but to reconsider the historical implications of the major historical eras (e.g. conquest, immigration, industrialization, civil rights), and the economics of war. For almost 25 years he was a Professor of Political Science at Boston University, and penned more than 20 books focusing on a revisionist view of history (Feeney & Marquard). Zinn's primary academic mission was to challenge conventional thinking and to have people read his works and feel that they, too, had a sense of power within the political spectrum (Ibid). His aim was to provide his readers with thorough insight about the World in general, and to specifically focus on human rights and equality. His major thesis was that ultimately, rather than wealth or arms, the people ultimately hold the power. He also said that he would like to be remembered, "for introducing a different way of thinking about the world, about human rights, about equality… and for getting more people to realize that the power which rests so far in the hands of people with wealth and guns, that the power ultimately rests in people themselves and that they can use it. At certain points in history, they have used it. Black people in the South used it. People in the women's movement used it. People in the anti-war movement used it. People in other countries who have overthrown tyrannies have used it" (Zinn, Historian).

There have been numerous historical works on the Great Explorers, Columbus, DeSoto, Cortes, Pizzaro, etc. But one thing that emerges from their accounts of the New World is that North America was populated sparsely and by groups of unorganized "tribal" cultures with no written language, no large architectural monuments, and no advanced civilization. However, new excavations and scholarship shows this to be false. North America was a vast geographical region, and there were numerous indigenous cultures that had significant architectural technology and more (the Anasazi, Cahokia, and literally hundreds of tribal cultures). The fallacy came about with the view that North American "history" began in 1492, historians not realizing that by the time they arrived in North America, many of the indigenous cultures had already passed their peak. In fact, recent revelations have shown that it is possible that the first Americans actually first arrived 10-20,000 years prior to Columbus, making their way eastward from the Pacific Coast. These Amerindian cultures were for more urban, had larger populations, and were far more technologically advanced than earlier assumed; and, instead of being the stoic "guardians of nature," the indigenous cultures often shaped the geography and natural history of the areas of habitation. A new "revisionist" movement, sometimes epitomized by historians like Howard Zinn, seeks to correct these historical errors and treat the Amerindian cultures in a more balanced, less Eurocentric, fashion (See, for example: Troura; Restall).

The crux of this piece, Zinn's Chapter 1 of a People's History of the United States, focuses on the great civilizations which populated Meso and South America long before the Spanish arrived. The Toltec, Maya, Aztec, and Inca were the predominant cultures who had reigned in the area at least 3500 BCE, with most of the advanced and classical periods of their civilizations from 200-1200, and experiencing a decline from 1200 to the Spanish Conquest. While our understanding of the nature of the Amerindian classical civilizations is skewed due to so much material being destroyed by the Spanish, we do know that for several hundred years before Cortes landed there had been a great deal of infighting and unrest between the indigenous tribes, weaking the culture through a combination of mass warfare and human sacrifice. Instead of seeing the conquest of Mesoamerica as the destiny of Europeans, Zinn (like other revisionists) believses that it was a combination of technological advantage and shock and awe that made Cortes successful (groups of mounted calvary in armor). Montezuma, in giving Cortes numerous gifts of gold and precious stones, was trying to remind Cortes that he, Montezuma, was all powerful and could bestow any form of wealth on any lesser being. This, unfortunately, had the opposite effect and only made Cortes' avarice grow. Much, too, has been said that the Aztec's thought Cortes a reincarnation of one of their Gods, a fairhaired traveller from the sea. However, just how much Montecuzma was convinced of this remains speculative. All this, was a cosequence of the manner in which Christopher Columbus interacted with the Arawak indians. Columbus' exaggeration of the amount of wealth the new World offered was indeed the reason that fueled the lust and greed of Spanish Conquerers. "Like other states of the modern world, Spain sought gold, which was becoming the new mark of wealth more useful than land because it could buy anything" (Zinn, History is a Weapon).