ZINN QUESTIONS – A People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn
Chapter 1 – Columbus, the Indians and Human Progress
According to Zinn, what is his main purpose for writing A People’s History of the United States?
Zinn’s main purpose for writing A People’s History of the United States was to present the history from the point of view of the common people rather than from the point of view of historians or politicians.
What is Zinn’s thesis for pages 1-11?
Zinn’s thesis is that Colombus was not a real hero, how all the history books portray him as. Instead he was dishonest to who supported his journeys, offering them fake promises, and he was cruel to the people of the lands that he traveled to.
According to Zinn, how is Columbus portrayed in traditional history books?
According to Zinn Colombus is portrayed as a hero when he wasn’t. His discovery was completely by accident and the actions he took when he found new land were both cruel and unfair.
Why does Zinn dispute Henry Kissinger’s statement: "History is the memory
of states?"
Zinn disputes Henry’s statement because he feels that Henry only looks at the history from the viewpoint of the leaders instead from those who suffered from these leaders policies. Zinn’s viewpoint is to not accept history as the memory of the state, and instead study the true conflicts.
What is Zinn’s basic criticism of historian Samuel Eliot Morison’s book,
Christopher Columbus, Mariner?
Zinn’s criticisms is that although he tells the truth about Columbus’s cruelty with confidence, he summarizes his feelings by stating that Colombus was in fact admirable despite his mistakes.
What major issues does Bartolome de las Casas bring up regarding Spanish
expeditions in the Caribbean?
The major issues Batolome de las Casas bring up is the Spanish cruelty towards the Indian people.
Identify one early and one subsequent motive that drove Columbus to
oppress indigenous peoples.
One early and subsequent motive that drove Columbus to oppress indigenous peoples was in return for bringing back gold and spices, they promised Columbus 10 percent of the profits, governorship over new-found lands, and the fame that would go with a new title: Admiral of the Ocean Sea. So he brain washed the Indian people thinking they knew where the gold was, because gold wealth.
What was the ultimate fate of the Arawak Indians?
Columbus found the Arawak Indians and kept them as prisoners in the ship because he doubted they would lead him to the gold. Most of the Arawak Indians died on the ship because of the cold. Others were killed after Columbus promised the king gold and slaves. The Arawak Indians were given difficult jobs and as punishment for not completing them they were killed until eventually none were left.
What was the significance of Quetzalcoatl?
The significance of the Quetzalcoatl was that the Aztecs thought that Hernando Cortes was an Aztec god that had died 300 years before promising to return the Quetzalcoatl so they trusted him and welcomed him into their society by showering him with gold and silver.
Compare the strategies and motives underlying the conquest of the Aztecs by
Cortez and the conquest of the Incas by Pizzaro.
Pizarro killed tones of people in Peru using the same method for the same reason Cortez did. Pizarro and Cortez destroyed nations for gold, slaves, and crops to pay holders of the expeditions, to finance the monarchial organizations and to expand the growth of the new money economy rising out of feudalism.
What were the major causes of war between the Powhatans and the English
settlers?
- When the English colonizers first arrived in Virginia one of the Indians stole a small silver cup and Richard Greenville dismissed and burned a whole Indian village over it.
- An English colony was set up inside Indian union led by Indian chief Powhatan.
- The chief Powhatan refused to return the English men that went to the Indians to take refuge during the starving period and the English killed some Indians, cut down corn, burned houses, and took the queen of the tribe and killed her and her children.
Discuss the significance of Powhatan’s statement, "Why will you take by force
what you may have quietly by love?"
Powhatan means that he and his people will gladly give the English whatever they wanted with love and care as long as they came in with good manners. So why fight for things that you can have by starting war and destroying people and properties.
Explain Governor John Winthrop’s legal and biblical justification for seizing
Indian land.
The Pequot's and Narragansett tribes failed to subdue their land. By that they mean fence in their land for agricultural and farming purposes. Then he said that a their rights did not matter because to them they were not people.
Explain the main tactic of warfare used by the English against the Indians.
The man tactic of warfare was to attack the women and children and those not able to fight.
According to Roger Williams, how did the English usually justify their attacks
on the Indians?
What ultimately happened to the estimated 10 million Indians living in North
America at the time of Columbus’ arrival?
The 10 million Indians living in North America at the time of Columbus’ arrival was reduced to less than a million. Huge numbers of Indians would die from diseases from the whites.
Evaluate the statement: "If there are sacrifices to be made for human
progress, is it not essential to hold to the principle that those to be sacrificed
must make the decision themselves?"
How does Zinn attempt to prove that the Indians were not inferior? Provide
examples.
Zinn attempts to prove that the Indians were not inferior by stating all of their accomplishments that were made without the help of the English such as building large terraced buildings to protect them from enemies, before European explorers Indians were already using irrigation canals, dams, were doing ceramics, weaving baskets, and making cloth out of cotton.
Zinn’s main purpose for writing A People’s History of the United States was to present the history from the point of view of the common people rather than from the point of view of historians or politicians.
What is Zinn’s thesis for pages 1-11?
Zinn’s thesis is that Colombus was not a real hero, how all the history books portray him as. Instead he was dishonest to who supported his journeys, offering them fake promises, and he was cruel to the people of the lands that he traveled to.
According to Zinn, how is Columbus portrayed in traditional history books?
According to Zinn Colombus is portrayed as a hero when he wasn’t. His discovery was completely by accident and the actions he took when he found new land were both cruel and unfair.
Why does Zinn dispute Henry Kissinger’s statement: "History is the memory
of states?"
Zinn disputes Henry’s statement because he feels that Henry only looks at the history from the viewpoint of the leaders instead from those who suffered from these leaders policies. Zinn’s viewpoint is to not accept history as the memory of the state, and instead study the true conflicts.
What is Zinn’s basic criticism of historian Samuel Eliot Morison’s book,
Christopher Columbus, Mariner?
Zinn’s criticisms is that although he tells the truth about Columbus’s cruelty with confidence, he summarizes his feelings by stating that Colombus was in fact admirable despite his mistakes.
What major issues does Bartolome de las Casas bring up regarding Spanish
expeditions in the Caribbean?
The major issues Batolome de las Casas bring up is the Spanish cruelty towards the Indian people.
Identify one early and one subsequent motive that drove Columbus to
oppress indigenous peoples.
One early and subsequent motive that drove Columbus to oppress indigenous peoples was in return for bringing back gold and spices, they promised Columbus 10 percent of the profits, governorship over new-found lands, and the fame that would go with a new title: Admiral of the Ocean Sea. So he brain washed the Indian people thinking they knew where the gold was, because gold wealth.
What was the ultimate fate of the Arawak Indians?
Columbus found the Arawak Indians and kept them as prisoners in the ship because he doubted they would lead him to the gold. Most of the Arawak Indians died on the ship because of the cold. Others were killed after Columbus promised the king gold and slaves. The Arawak Indians were given difficult jobs and as punishment for not completing them they were killed until eventually none were left.
What was the significance of Quetzalcoatl?
The significance of the Quetzalcoatl was that the Aztecs thought that Hernando Cortes was an Aztec god that had died 300 years before promising to return the Quetzalcoatl so they trusted him and welcomed him into their society by showering him with gold and silver.
Compare the strategies and motives underlying the conquest of the Aztecs by
Cortez and the conquest of the Incas by Pizzaro.
Pizarro killed tones of people in Peru using the same method for the same reason Cortez did. Pizarro and Cortez destroyed nations for gold, slaves, and crops to pay holders of the expeditions, to finance the monarchial organizations and to expand the growth of the new money economy rising out of feudalism.
What were the major causes of war between the Powhatans and the English
settlers?
- When the English colonizers first arrived in Virginia one of the Indians stole a small silver cup and Richard Greenville dismissed and burned a whole Indian village over it.
- An English colony was set up inside Indian union led by Indian chief Powhatan.
- The chief Powhatan refused to return the English men that went to the Indians to take refuge during the starving period and the English killed some Indians, cut down corn, burned houses, and took the queen of the tribe and killed her and her children.
Discuss the significance of Powhatan’s statement, "Why will you take by force
what you may have quietly by love?"
Powhatan means that he and his people will gladly give the English whatever they wanted with love and care as long as they came in with good manners. So why fight for things that you can have by starting war and destroying people and properties.
Explain Governor John Winthrop’s legal and biblical justification for seizing
Indian land.
The Pequot's and Narragansett tribes failed to subdue their land. By that they mean fence in their land for agricultural and farming purposes. Then he said that a their rights did not matter because to them they were not people.
Explain the main tactic of warfare used by the English against the Indians.
The man tactic of warfare was to attack the women and children and those not able to fight.
According to Roger Williams, how did the English usually justify their attacks
on the Indians?
What ultimately happened to the estimated 10 million Indians living in North
America at the time of Columbus’ arrival?
The 10 million Indians living in North America at the time of Columbus’ arrival was reduced to less than a million. Huge numbers of Indians would die from diseases from the whites.
Evaluate the statement: "If there are sacrifices to be made for human
progress, is it not essential to hold to the principle that those to be sacrificed
must make the decision themselves?"
How does Zinn attempt to prove that the Indians were not inferior? Provide
examples.
Zinn attempts to prove that the Indians were not inferior by stating all of their accomplishments that were made without the help of the English such as building large terraced buildings to protect them from enemies, before European explorers Indians were already using irrigation canals, dams, were doing ceramics, weaving baskets, and making cloth out of cotton.