"History is the memory of states," Henry Kissinger Read the first two chapters of Howard Zinn. Respond to prompts of the questions below and end your original post with a critical thinking question for a classmate to respond to. A critical thinking question is an open ended question that relates to the reading, what you were taught before about the topic, and potentially how the issue you are asking about can change in the future. Conclude your blog with a question that makes your respondent think. Your critical thinking question should not be a yes or no question.
Readings 1. Columbus, The Indians, and Human Progress 2. Drawing the Color Line Questions (answer at least one of the prompts below)
Requirements for BLOG POSTS
84 Comments
Kassandra Mariscal
4/7/2015 08:49:31 am
How do we usually think of Columbus? How does Zinn’s version of the story of Columbus differ from the traditional account? What do we think motivated Columbus’ actions?
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Kasey S
4/7/2015 11:49:12 am
Hey Kassandra, I completely agree with you. I feel like I've been lied to growing up. He was always seen as this hero that found America and little did we know he found America but what did he do to retrieve America? Kill the Natives that resided there and enslave them. I, like yourself, never knew about this horrible truth to Columbus and his ways. I felt disgusted and filled with confusion knowing that this is the type of lies that we feed into the minds of children. And I agree with you when you say that greed and recognition is what motivated Columbus because that's all he was after. For instance in Zinn's version when he talked about how, if someone seen an island first they'd receive an award, and some other sailor seen the island first but Columbus claimed that he seen the island the night before talking about he seen a light or something like that. Then he claimed the reward for himself as if he wasn't going to be receiving any other riches. So it just goes to show that Columbus was really selfish and greedy and really just full of himself. Which makes him a horrible person. I really liked you answer.
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Diana Llamas
4/8/2015 04:15:10 am
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Rocio Soto
4/9/2015 01:37:04 pm
Kassandra,
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Kasey S
4/7/2015 11:43:53 am
How do we usually think of Columbus? How does Zinn’s version of the story of Columbus differ from the traditional account? What do we think motivated Columbus’ actions?
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Zander S
4/7/2015 12:25:35 pm
Kasey,
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Valarie H.
4/9/2015 09:37:22 am
As students we are taught things that we thought it was right way. So after reading what Zinn wrote, it made me realize that it's true. Not all things that we've been told is true. I couldn't agree more with your discussion Kasey. After reading about the behind the scenes, we've just been lied to. We celebrate a day for a murderer that we all once thought is a honorable man.
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Tionne Johnson
4/9/2015 01:00:57 pm
This is so true that we learn to respect and honor this man Christopher Colombus all of our lives and yet he's responsible for so much violence and wrongdoing. In school we often don't get the perspective of the oppressed. We usually get the perspective of the "default person" if I am using professor Crain's words correctly.
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Alexander "zander" Smead
4/7/2015 12:19:38 pm
“In fourteen hundred ninety-two Columbus sailed the ocean blue.” This is the beginning of a poem that almost every child learns in elementary school. As children, we learn the nice version of this story about how Columbus found America and everything was great as they traded items and that he was a hero. We learn and study stories about his infamous ships, The Nina, The Pinta and the Santa Maria. Sadly this story isn't entirely true and Columbus isn't the amazing person that we are told he is. According to Zinn’s version things are a lot different then what we are taught as children. It turns out that Columbus actually played a major part in the extinction of an entire race of people along with the rape, murder and sexual abuse of another race of people while pillaging most of the Caribbean. We later learn that those ships didn't just carry great explorers to a new land, they were used to transport slaves and gold. I believe that the greed of fame and fortune motivated Columbus to do all the horrible things that he did. I feel this was demonstrated in many areas including the case when Columbus took credit in seeing land the night before Rodrigo and winning the money that was not rightfully his. Personally I feel that as a child I was deceived by being taught a piece of history that is not true. Growing up learning about a hero only to later learn he was a villain is very disheartening.
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Marisa Lerma
4/7/2015 02:26:10 pm
Zander, I completely agree with you. I feel deceived finding out that a person we all thought was a hero, who has their own day of celebration, is actually a murderer. I agree that fame and fortune played a huge role into Columbus' motives and that he was only looking out for himself. When I read about the part of Rodrigo I thought, wow Columbus is such a jerk for stealing the prize away from Rodrigo; but that is just another example of how greedy he was.
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Luis Lockhart
4/10/2015 06:05:38 am
Hey Zander, I feel the same way. It’s tough feeling that everything is right in the world and later on in life the rose colored glasses come off and you see so many bad things. Reading this made me feel disgusted that Columbus has his own holiday. I honestly wish that people would teach history more truthfully. Give him credit for starting the voyage but let people know what he did and how he was really like. Even if you gloss over the bad at least don’t portray him as a hero.
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Tanee A.
4/13/2015 05:09:00 am
I agree with you 100% I think that it is amazing how society makes people in our history seem so great but they are truly in fact the opposite. They way that children are taught to look at people makes us ignorant to the situations that are going on in the workd today. If you keep believing what people tell you, you will never learn the real truth about any situation happening in life.
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Candice D.
4/7/2015 12:30:07 pm
We usually think of Christopher Columbus as an honorable and courageous explorer for the "discovery" of the land of America. " He knew that the world was round and he could sail west in order to get to the Far East" ( Howard Zinn). He was confident and motivated to find a westward route to Asia to look for a faster trade route to Asia to make transportation easier and more profitable. In addition, he was motivated to find gold. I believe that was his big motivation because it was expected of him from Spain. " He had persuaded the king and queen of Spain to finance an expedition to the lands, the wealth, he expected would be on the other side of the Atlantic- the Indies and Asia, gold and spices" ( Howard Zinn). If he was able to come back with 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" ( Howard Zinn).
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Luis Lockhart
4/10/2015 06:14:19 am
Hi Candice. To answer your question, the reason we don’t hear about it is because to historians (and whoever Americans are responsible), even though he committed these acts, if it wasn’t for Columbus doing this we wouldn’t be here today. America wouldn’t exist. They compare the action to bombing Hiroshima to stop WWII. I guess some people believe the end justifies the means. That’s how Howard Zinn described it. Also, some people like to forget and hide all the bad things we have done in history. I think it’s horrible though and even if they give credit to Columbus for “discovering America” they should NOT make him out to be a hero.
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Marisa Lerma
4/7/2015 02:17:41 pm
How do we usually think of Columbus? How does Zinn’s version of the story of Columbus differ from the traditional account? What do we think motivated Columbus’ actions?
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Candice D.
4/7/2015 03:26:16 pm
Marisa,
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Marisa Lerma
4/12/2015 03:49:42 pm
Candice,
Sujla McKinney
4/7/2015 06:32:39 pm
“Peoples” history is exactly what it says, the history of people. It’s the history of people told in the viewpoint of the people involved in the major events that occurred to make our history. In elementary, middle school and high school we are told the story of Christopher Columbus. Little did we know is that there was a lot more to the story of Columbus sailing to the “new world” then we knew. Yes, we all know he in fact was extremely wrong and far off his calculation of where Asia was and that seems to be the only “mistake” Columbus made. A simple miscalculation and misunderstanding lead to the discovery of new, unknown land. This new land was not so new to a group of individuals of men, women and children, the Arawak’s. The Arawak’s were Indians living on an island off the Caribbean who lived solely off their natural land. The traditional books actually mislead us as to what really happened when Columbus “discovered” this land. He in fact was filled with uncontrollable greed, selfishness, and his drive was but all concerned about two things, gold and slaves. Rather than greeting these unarmed human beings as friendly neighbors. Is that who we want to represent in a U.S holiday on our findings of America? Above all, was Christopher Columbus’s actions of complete genocide of the Arawaks worth anything at all? The parts that was most interesting to me was that the Indians were fighting against each other rather than focusing their energy on the Englishmen. I don’t understand why that is but they did. I also want to know what would happen if say the Indians fought back. What do ya’ll think?
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4/8/2015 01:22:42 pm
Well firstly, the Indians did fight back and got totally killed. But If you're talking about a collective effort against the colonists as opposed to a divided one-- I still think they would have been zapped either way.
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Diana Llamas
4/8/2015 04:02:31 am
How do we usually think of Columbus? How does Zinn’s version of the story of Columbus differ from the traditional account? What do we think motivated Columbus’ actions?
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Lesley C.
4/8/2015 04:22:23 am
I agree with you completely. Learning that Columbus is a hero from a young age to now knowing the truth about him is shocking to many people. The story about Columbus should have never been sugar coated.If it wasn't for him being greedy about the gold and trying to find it all. I don't think any of this would have happened. All Columbus had on his mind was gold and he did not care who he hurt along the way. I believe he shouldn't have a day of celebration because that day isn't celebrating anything but just celebrating him for all the killings he did.
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Lesley C.
4/8/2015 04:15:32 am
How do we usually think of Columbus? How does Zinn’s version of the story of Columbus differ from the traditional account? What do we think motivated Columbus’ actions?
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Quincey W
4/8/2015 04:48:19 am
Lesley C
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Rocio Soto
4/9/2015 02:53:34 pm
Honestly, I think Christopher Columbus was pressured by the Spaniard government but then on top of that he put himself out there for them to notice him. He had to expose himself as a great adventure seeker that he was. Except he wanted riches, gold and fame. At the beginning he might've done it looking to expand but toward the end he was causing more harm and pain than good. I am disgusted from what I had to read, it is very sad to me. How can we be thankful to someone who made more damage than made good. Great we are in American thanks to him? I don't think i'll ever say that. More like Thanks to the Indians that had to suffer and live through hell just for us to have our America. Pretty selfish on our part.
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Quincey W
4/8/2015 04:25:44 am
How do we usually think of Columbus? How does Zinn’s version of the story of Columbus differ from the traditional account? What do we think motivated Columbus’ actions?
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Kimberly Lopez
4/8/2015 05:48:26 am
While reading this article I couldn’t help but to compare it to what I have learned about how African Americans were treated in the States as well with what we are taught in school about the Jews. It seems to me for whatever reason the history and hardships of the Native Americans has always been hidden. I agree with you when you say growing up we learned nothing but the good things he did and how iconic he was. In addition, I do not understand why such a man was rewarded with such fame for finding America; we are made to think he found an “empty land” because he very well cleared it out.
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Breanna F.
4/8/2015 05:41:07 am
There are always two sides to every story. It is important to remember that when discussing historical occurrences. However, what if one side of the story speaks of nothing but peace and friendship? The only time the other side of the story is sought out is when there is evidence of opposition. “People’s history” is infamous for always accepting the first side of the story because the stories we are taught leave us without any further questions. I am guilty of only accepting one side of the story. When our professor made the comment about not celebrating Thanksgiving on the first day of class, I was caught off guard. I could hear the disposition in her voice, but because I was unaware of the Arawarks’ point of view, I couldn’t share the same passion. After reading the first chapter, I am appalled but more than that, I’m disgusted. I’m disgusted because I’m faced with the fact that a holiday I have celebrated all my life is not based on hospitality, community, and thankfulness. It is not a holiday that should be celebrated at all. Pain, suffering, abandonment, disrespect, and selfishness are the only emotions that were expressed on the day we have celebrated for years. Columbus in my eyes, is a coward. He’s a coward because after the Indians welcomed him to their land with open arms and everything they had to offer, he did not reciprocate the comradeship. Instead, he took advantage of their innocence and he used them to benefit his well-being. Instead of being honest from the beginning and letting the nobility know that there wasn’t the amount of gold they had hoped for, he scrambled to find what he promised and he didn’t care who he hurt along the way. Greed is an important factor in this moment of history. We like to think that we treat people the way we want to be treated, but that’s not the case. We treat people accordingly to the profit in which we can make off of them. I am disappointed, but I’m also left with more curiosity. I want to know about the people without a voice, because those are the ones who have the right messages. We have enough people like Columbus in the world, using people in order to climb up the ladder.
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Jesika Lee
4/10/2015 04:11:53 pm
Breanna,
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Jesika Lee
4/8/2015 05:58:09 am
What is “People’s” history, and how does it differ from the traditional telling of history?
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Jesika Lee
4/8/2015 06:04:15 am
Whoops! Forgot to include a critical thinking question.
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Kimberly Lopez
4/8/2015 06:44:23 am
“A People’s History of the United States” written by Howard Zinn, is a book justifying the non-victors tale. We go to school for about 10 + years of our lives engraving how glorious our history is and how we must have pride in our beloved America; however, we do not ever go over the story of the captured and killed. Zinn does a great job at giving the reader insight of history we have not been exposed to in school. He really doesn’t seem to have a censored screen on the topics. Back in elementary school I remember how exciting it was celebrating Columbus Day, we had the day off, did arts and crafts and learned about how America was discovered; I’ve truly lived ever school year excited about that day off. However, now I cannot understand how such a person is celebrated across our country; it is almost like celebrating Hitler or Cortez. Zinn does not focus on how magnificent of a person he was for finding America but he focuses on how he treated the Native Americans. I also realized we call Native Americans, “Indians”, only because at first Columbus set out to reach India. Our history knowledge has been very ignorant to the Native Americans and I do not understand why? I feel like Columbus wanted to be looked upon as a King after returning from his venture and the thought of fame and riches really twisted his mind in awful ways and in return made his do some cruel, cruel things. The parts that interested me the most were the passages from "Las Casas" and how a young priest could be so powerless against what was going on and if the priests actually tried helping the Native Americans like the few White people that helped cross over African Americans.
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Sujla McKinney
4/10/2015 04:12:54 pm
I don’t believe we completely ignore their history. I think we are just not telling their history correctly. We all know the Natives had this land first but yet fail to explain why or how this land all of a sudden became ours. America chose to teach us about Columbus day and celebrate this day off which in fact made us all look stupid celebrating this day with arts and crafts when we should have been learning and expressing to the world that day what Columbus really did on his many voyages. I completely agree with you that are we all ignorant to believe such and thing and learned as we grew up that it’s the complete opposite.
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Inderpuneet
4/8/2015 08:53:59 am
In every history class I took starting from elementary, I was taught that Columbus was the one who discovered the lands of America. We teach kids that Columbus is an honorable and noble man, who set his mind to find America. But after reading Zinn’s chapter and revealing the truth about Columbus, and that whatever he did was all for gold and since he couldn’t find any gold like he thought he would, he decided to make the Native Americans slaves. I was taught that Native Americans were forced off of their land but I did not know that Columbus was the one to make them slaves. In the chapter, Columbus wrote how the Native Americans were so giving and they had a simple way of living (Zinn), it made me think that we as Americans have always just taken, we have created our foundation by taking the homes of these Native Americans, making them slaves because they were inferior to us. Columbus was motivated by gold and the honor that he was going to receive. Zinn shows us the true side of the history, he shows us that the person we idealize, was actually greedy for wealth and fame, which led to many innocent Native Americans to die. After revealing all the truth about him, why do people still give him so much credit? And why do we still have a holiday celebrating his “victory”?
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Juanisha Elder
4/8/2015 12:39:39 pm
Inderpuneet,
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Valarie H.
4/8/2015 09:42:23 am
Usually students are talked about things and we believe it would be facts because we think that they have done their research. But now that it’s much easier to research things ourselves, we know the real truth.
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Indepuneet Shergill
4/10/2015 04:32:47 pm
think you brought a great question up Valarie, I think the Native Americans couldn’t speak up and protest because the lack of support and knowledge. I honestly feel that due to the different time frames, the Native Americans didn’t have enough support. The Native Americans lived by themselves, with their own rules and society, so when they saw these people they thought they were here to help. But what really bothers me is that, we American have always kept people slaved.
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Juanisha Elder
4/8/2015 12:33:12 pm
• What is “People’s” history, and how does it differ from the traditional telling of history?
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4/8/2015 01:13:42 pm
What is “People’s” history, and how does it differ from the traditional telling of history?
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Breanna F.
4/10/2015 09:07:30 am
Hey Zachary!
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Jocelyn Chavez
4/8/2015 01:51:05 pm
What is “People’s” history, and how does it differ from the traditional telling of history?
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Maryjoyce Pascual
4/8/2015 02:01:46 pm
When we learn about Christopher Columbus in grade school, we are initially taught that he is the founder of our country, America. With that said, we only see him one way; with praise. As we grow older and we discover the truth out for ourselves, essentially, we still see him as this amazing person who “accidentally” found our country on his way to finding Asia, but we also realize that he was brutal and ruthless. Zinn’s version crucially explains how Columbus and his crew took full advantage of the Arawak men and women who showed them nothing but hospitality and continued to exaggerate the “truths” to his majesties in Spain. It is safe to say that Columbus’ motivations for him to commit such cruelties were fear and greed. Fear in the sense that if he always came back empty handed, he would be first be made a laughingstock then executed and greed in a sense he would claim everything for himself rather than ten percent which what was initially agreed if he found a sea route to Asia. By those motives instilled within him, he used the Arawak tribe as guinea pigs to do his dirty work for him and always giving them impossible tasks because there was neither any gold or spices to be found. With all the pressure of debts increasing, Columbus’ cruelty grew, mercilessly killing any prisoner who showed up with no gold at all. In our day and age, the world we live in, and the way we are governed, is it possible that those who execute power, may sometimes execute power the way Columbus has to the Arawak tribe; with complete brutality and force, leaving the rest of us with n choice but to be submissive?
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amal pujol
4/10/2015 05:00:24 pm
Hi Maryjoyce,
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Nathaniel Mani
4/8/2015 02:03:06 pm
How do we usually think of Columbus? How does Zinn’s version of the story of Columbus differ from the traditional account? What do we think motivated Columbus’ actions?
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Vicky M.
4/10/2015 04:02:34 pm
Hello Nathaniel,
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Rocio Soto
4/8/2015 02:22:43 pm
“People’s” history is extraordinarily different. It exposes the massacre and literal Genocide that actually happened in Columbus’ voyage. It is extremely different from what we think we know because this shows you the cost of this movement. It tells you the cold truth and how much the Indians paid for it, because they are the ones who were murdered, enslaved and taken advantage of. In the story of Columbus I was taught that he discovered the Americas, but how can you discover something that is already inhabited. He was a real scam. The story told in Zinn’s first chapter is what actually happened. Columbus is a fraud who used God and holly right unrightfully. He is usually perceived as the brave seaman who discovered the United States, but in reality he only started the movement to wipe out the Indians who lived in this land. In Zinn’s version of events, Columbus is the stingy a-hole who wanted money. Land. Gold. What a greedy bastard. I wonder how he slept at night. Honestly, Zinn’s version speaks about the real events. He speaks the cold truth. That Is something that people will never accept, nor acknowledge. Columbus was an airhead who was motivated by wealth and riches. He sounds conceited and full of himself. I’d like to know if the United States government thinks this is okay. I was not ready to read this sad truth. I don’t think anyone will ever be ready to accept it. What I really want to know is how military men kept this secret. How was it that Columbus was never exposed back in Spain? Or was it that no one really cared.
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Gloria Olea-Bailon
4/8/2015 02:40:29 pm
During school as students we were brought up to think as Columbus as a hero. As an elementary student learning about history I never fully understood what exactly was the glory of Columbus, but rather than that he had discovered America. Although, Zinn's version of the story is completely different from the traditional story line. One thing that is different is how in Zinn's version he discusses how their was a mass murder more like a genocide. In Zinn's version I also came to find how Columbus and his victims (the Arawaks) were heroes because they were also being attacked by the islanders. This article also explains how one can't judge what Columbus did, but rather try to understand because at the end of the his country Spain was suffering since many had invested in the other trips he's taken. Also mentioned in the article was how Columbus has also promised to bring back gold since it would make up for the slaves they'd lost in the past days or so. On the other hand it was never mentioned in the traditional story it was never mentioned how Columbus was going to land and land and enslaving the islanders for this country's own well being.
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nathaniel mani
4/9/2015 12:36:01 am
Hello Gloria, well written post. Yes, it is true when we were in grad school Columbus was seen as this massive hero that discovered the lands. I had to idea that he was trying to commit genocide in a way. it was all very shocking to me. Zinns article was very helpful and i do agree on the fact that greed drove him to commit all these acts. If gold wasn't popular during his time he would been happy with the land he discovered and who knows maybe there wouldn't have been that much deaths. i dont think that his strategy was to commit genocide from land to land rather he grew frustrated not finding the gold he expected to find or the natives weren't giving up the gold.
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Karina Vences
4/10/2015 04:59:09 am
Well written piece Gloria. While reading through posts I thought that both of our thoughts on the two articles were similar. It’s interesting to learn about one thing in school from history books and then later learning otherwise. Money, power, and greed can drive people to do many things – and not always positive things.
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Sierra MacIntyre
4/10/2015 04:48:20 pm
Hi Gloria.
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Ryan Tayahua
4/8/2015 02:44:09 pm
I was in kindergarten when I first learned about Christopher Columbus. On Columbus Day, my teacher told us about the heroic sailor who crossed the ocean and founded America. At the end of the story our teacher handed out pineapple for the entire class because this was found in the new land and only royalty at the time can eat it. Growing up I thought of Christopher Columbus as a hero and felt obliged to remember him on his famous holiday. As I grew older and began to read more, I found out how truly horrible he was. Also, by the reading we were just assigned, found out of his monstrous actions . Not only did he find American by accident he didn’t even give his shipmate the yearly pension of 10,000 maravedis he promised anyone who found land first. Furthermore I found it very interesting that the Arawak people were so generous when they first met Columbus they shared almost everything with him. But Columbus and his party took this as a weakness and created a completed genocide of these people, killing and enslaving these “savages”. Ironically, the people who were so kind and generous are being called savages while those who killed these people for power and pleasure are “civilized”. Columbus was the leader of an ambitious expedition to find Spain a new land of riches. If he succeeded he would gain “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” (Zinn). It was Columbus’ greed and ambition, which ultimately led to the demise and genocide of the Arawak people.
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Ashley De La Paz
4/10/2015 02:07:34 pm
The feeling is mutual, it seems like the younger we are the less they want us to know about what really happened. While I was growing up, I learned so much of how many stories are told only half way, and Christopher Columbus is a great example of how we only teach certain things to a certain limit.
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jocelyn chavez
4/10/2015 03:19:05 pm
I totally agree with your response and how when we were young they forced us to believe Christopher Columbus was a true hero. We had to celebrate his actions and there was a national holiday because of him. It's sad that until now I actually find out that he was a horrible person that he worked his way up for power by killing or "disappearing" all the Indians. He just wanted power and fame I believe and he made it happen. Like I mention before why do we still allow the government to celebrate someones birthday that did no good to us. If when we do learn about the truth why do we still allow it to happen?
Sierra MacIntyre
4/10/2015 04:45:03 pm
Hi Ryan
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Jada witherspoon
4/8/2015 02:57:09 pm
What is “People’s” history, and how does it differ from the traditional telling of history?
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Jada Witherspoon
4/8/2015 03:29:02 pm
Question
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Sierra MacIntyre
4/8/2015 03:11:01 pm
• How do we usually think of Columbus? How does Zinn’s version of the story of Columbus differ from the traditional account? What do we think motivated Columbus’ actions?
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Britney Yarbrough
4/8/2015 03:58:32 pm
Hey Sierra,
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Shelbie Higginson
4/10/2015 04:48:05 pm
Hi Sierra,
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amal pujol
4/8/2015 03:21:27 pm
People’s history is one of slavery, brutality, greed, pain, and genocide. It was out of all these that Western civilization was born and these were the same qualities that laid the foundation for capitalism. Imperialism was and remains a missions for wealth and resources even though its true desires are often hidden under the mission of civilization. For example Columbus is often hailed as a hero for his great discovery of the new world and wealth but when we read Zinn’s account we see that he was a ruthless explorer in search of wealth. He even stole from a sailor on his crew who was the first to spot the area of Hispaniola but Columbus lied so he could keep the bonus. He also lied to the King about finding gold and took advantage of the Arawak Indians who lived on the land. When he could not fulfill his promise of gold he attempted to make it up with slavery. He and his men ravaged the land and murdered the Indians almost wiping out the entire tribe. I believe his actions were motivated by greed and the desire for status and power since he was promised a distinguish position upon return. The actual story of the Arawak and Hispaniola is very meaningful to me because my husband is from Dominican Republic and his mother is a descendant of the Taino Indians that belong to the Arawak tribe. He told me how the people from his town hold Columbus to be a hero despite all the horrors that their ancestors dealt with at his hands. Why do oppressed people often hail their oppressors to high regards despite the wrongs and oppositions they endured in the past
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Karina Vences
4/8/2015 03:27:59 pm
Usually when someone hears of Columbus they automatically think of him founding our land. The reason why this is such a common and traditional story is because it is what it was taught to us. Not to mention that there is a national Columbus Day to “celebrate him.” Many people do not know the “real truth” behind the told story – along with me prior to reading these two readings. It is interesting to think that as kids we read otherwise in our history books not knowing the entire truth. Columbus was involved in the deaths and the dehumanization of a lot of Native American’s and those who were initially established in the land. Zinn’s version of the story was very enlightening and was nothing similar to the traditional or “well-known” story everyone knows off. He was not so much the founder of our land but the founder of dehumanization to an entire race. What seems to have “motivated” Columbus’ actions was finding gold. It’s interesting to hear about another well-known person (whom still comes up as references even after many decades) that was such a “leader” but not so much for positive reasons. *Not to go off topic* but while reading these two articles I could not help but think of Hitler. Many people followed Columbus like they followed Hitler and the one common thing that was driving both of them was either power or money. In my opinion, these are the versions of historical events that should be in history books as opposed to those corny “super hero” ones. Seems like people are supposedly becoming educated but later come to learn otherwise.
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Erika Briseno
4/9/2015 04:16:22 pm
Hi Karina,
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Alicia L
4/8/2015 03:40:20 pm
The “Peoples History" is history told by the perspective of oppressed. As a child and adolescent, I’ve been taught history in the perspective of the imperialist, capitalistic aggressor. For example, I was taught that Columbus discovered America, and was some sort of hero because of it. He was reverend as a brave courageous hero who discovered America, and even had a special holiday to honor him. Growing up, I was taught that taking over America was justifiable, because the land was empty and hardly occupied.
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Britney Yarbrough
4/8/2015 03:41:44 pm
Blog Post # 2
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Shelbie
4/8/2015 04:00:58 pm
Through learning about Columbus in history classes throughout my early education, I viewed him as this great, brave man who found America and help pioneer us to the great country we have today. I saw him as this amazing traveler who just happened to come across America and make an empty land into a country. I was never taught to view him as anything other than a brave, loving, helpful man that we should all admire. Although we learned about the horrible things that Columbus and his men did to the Native American’s living there, it was always brushed over and had little emphasis. The little details of the horrors that happened were never discussed. Zinn’s version is completely different. Zinn gives all of the details, no matter how disturbing they are. He describes Columbus as a murderer, and a man who would go to any length to achieve all of his wants. Zinn’s version doesn’t brush over anything. It tells the details of exactly what Columbus did to the Native people, and truly shows Columbus’ real intentions and how everything actually happened. I knew that Columbus had killed Native Americans, but I was unaware of how and to what extent that was. It saddens me after reading this to find out that we celebrate the day of a man we view as a hero, who is actually a violent murderer. He stopped at nothing to gain money and power. My question is, why are students still taught that Columbus is a hero? So many know that this is not true, but students are still not taught the facts. If history repeats itself, don’t we want the next generation to be educated in order to avoid another similar situation?
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Jose Fernandez
4/10/2015 01:31:01 pm
Columbus is revered as a hero because we often associate his discovery of the Americas as the most crucial part of our nation’s history. When we are taught our nation’s history we are taught to look at the early discoveries made by Christopher Columbus. Given that the reality of our history is paved in blood, I can see where parts of our history remain undisclosed. This is a major assessment of how the Spanish came to power and yet we choose to ignore these realities because it makes up a tragic part of our identity. I also believe that Columbus fails to be seen as an otherwise morally corrupt individual because we lack the hindsight of natives in the telling of this story. Victors, winners, or conquerors tell these stories through their own perspective while limiting opportunities of other accounts.
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alicia
6/14/2015 05:29:37 pm
I agree, it is sad learning what happened to the indigenous people of the Americas. You asked why kids are still being taught the perception of Columbus being a hero. I think part of it is to maintain the status quo. Our government does not like to look bad nonetheless teach our youth negative things about our government. Teaching about Columbus in a positive light helps maintain nationalism.
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Jose Fernandez
4/8/2015 04:13:51 pm
The People’s History is the telling of the mass genocide that occurred as a result of European expansion. The textbook or traditional telling of the story gives an exposition of the victors who found fortune and accolade from discovering new land. The victors are seen as heroes where the indigenous people are often seen as savages saved from their own lack of understanding and ignorance. We are presented with the idea that the victors brought enlightenment and great philosophical strives to the “New World” and its people.
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Luis Julian Cardenas
4/8/2015 05:01:21 pm
I don’t think it would have any repercussions, and if it did it would probably minimal. First off, rewriting the Nation’s history is a tough task to pull off, and if actually done, it would probably be dug deep inside a textbook. “Manifest Destiny”, during the 19th century fueled western settlement, started a war with Mexico and genocides of Native Americans. Yet there is no emphasis on the genocides or on the invasion of Mexico. People would still feel Patriotic, since their success and prosperity heavily relies on radical actions. What do you say?
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Shelbie Higginson
4/10/2015 04:51:32 pm
Hi Jose,
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Luis D Lockhart
4/8/2015 04:21:51 pm
When I was in school learning about world history, we never delved much into Christopher Columbus, maybe this was why. I do remember one thing, our history books never portrayed Columbus the way Howard Zinn does. I remember Columbus being just an explorer who wanted to prove that the Earth was round. He supposedly had no ulterior motives but he had to give the King and Queen of Spain something so they could fund his expedition. Knowing that his first thoughts on meeting people of the New World, who were nothing but kind to him and his crew, were how he could potentially use them as labor makes me sick honestly. And then I read on to find even worse atrocities. After Columbus and his men were done, the Arawaks were extinct. Hearing about all this makes me want to have the world judge and condemn Columbus but then reading on, what Zinn says makes me feel that the situation is more complex than that. He and Samuel Eliot Morison feel that although what Columbus did was wrong, it was necessary for us to progress and we wouldn’t be here today, comparing it to the bombing of Hiroshima. Reading this, I can’t really think of Columbus as a good guy anymore, but I can understand that from his perspective, he most likely felt that none of what he did was wrong. His belief in God motivated him a lot and he was determined to sail across the ocean back when it was uncharted for the sake of his mission.
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Alicia Larez
6/14/2015 05:37:26 pm
To answer your question, no. The end does not justify the means. What happened to the natives was completely wrong, and unjustifiable. The natives were raped, robbed, and massacred. Till this day, the U.S. practices globalization through capitalism. It robs other countries from their resources, and exploits their people. We have a long history of taking advantage of people, and its wrong.
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Erika Briseno
4/8/2015 04:22:50 pm
Our history classes taught us the most known story about Columbus. From what I remember, Columbus was said to be one mariner that discover America in 1492 and after being sailing for many days without having a sign of land. He had three ships and he was able to realize this trip thanks to the king and queen of Spain. Columbus was trying to find a new way to get to Asia without going in the traditional, known paths of his time. Columbus was always mentioned as a brave man that studied for many years a new way to get to Asia and who risked to find it; None would risk his/her life on the sea in a unknown way at that time. Also, some people would say that Columbus was innocent because he never knew he discovered a new continent.
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Gloria Olea
4/10/2015 06:59:22 am
Although it is true that one of the causes of death of thousands of people was caused by Columbus. Meanwhile, one has to take into consideration the different wars in each country and how their were also casualties. It is easy to point the finger at Columbus because not only were their children in loved, but families as a whole destroyed . Many others have enslaved their own people and even killed so Columbus is not the only one for blame.
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Luis Julian Cardenas
4/8/2015 04:28:58 pm
How do we usually think of Columbus? How does Zinn’s version of the story of Columbus differ from the traditional account? What do we think motivated Columbus’ actions?
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Gabriela Ruiz
4/8/2015 04:37:30 pm
“People’s” history is the fake history everyone knows about. It is the history of the nation but not the whole truth. It is the history taught in public schools, what they want us to think. It includes the glorification of Christopher Columbus but fails to teach the students about what really happened. Textbooks in public schools cease to mention the stone cold facts about Columbus’s genocide towards the Native Americans. “People’s” history is so different from the traditional real stories told. If part of the truth is acknowledged it is a minute portion of the truth and it is said very quickly and almost looked over. Textbooks fail to state what really happened hundreds and hundreds of years ago. It’s upsetting that most people will not know the reality of our country’s ruthless, brutal, heartless upbringing until they reach college. I had my older brother to thank for informing me of the reality of this when I was much younger while he was attending community college at the time. In the near future I believe textbooks should be changed and the curriculum taught in public schools should be altered as well. Publishing companies should publish the truth and teachers should teach the truth to their students as well. Imagine if we had been taught the reality of things since we were young, that Columbus isn’t actually a hero and he wasn’t the first person to discover America. Now imagine what life would be like if the Americas hadn’t been ‘discovered’ by Columbus… would a majority of people in present day America be of Native American descent? Would have the same thing happened had some other Englishmen came across in search of ‘India’ for spices and stumbled upon the Americas and eventually have the same outcome of mass genocide to the Native Americans?? What do you think would have happened if Columbus never would of have sailed off on the Santa Maria?
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Vicky M.
4/8/2015 04:55:16 pm
Individuals who attended a public school at any point in their lives have were taught through the banking system. They were also “taught” information that the white men wanted implanted in them. One of the fairytales they told us was of Christopher Columbus. We were taught that he ‘discovered’ North America along with other islands. But what the books did not say was that there were already people living there, the indigenous people, the natives. In the essay, “A People’s History of the United States”, chapter one, by Howard Zinn, the writer informs the reader what the high school books did not teach them. Zinn quotes Columbus on his beliefs towards the natives and his real purpose for exploring. Columbus was only interested in enslaving the indigenous people and looking for gold. Columbus took advantage of their nobleness and their ignorance in their advanced weapons.
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vicky m.
4/8/2015 04:58:31 pm
People take advantage of people plenty of times and they all have their unexcused reasons for, but should people be enslaved to get what they want?
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Luis Julian Cardenas
4/8/2015 04:56:43 pm
I don’t think it would have any repercussions, and if it did it would probably minimal. First off, rewriting the Nation’s history is a tough task to pull off, and if actually done, it would probably be dug deep inside a textbook. “Manifest Destiny”, during the 19th century fueled western settlement, started a war with Mexico and genocides of Native Americans. Yet there is no emphasis on the genocides or on the invasion of Mexico. People would still feel Patriotic, since their success and prosperity heavily relies on radical actions. What do you say?
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Asia Gamble
4/8/2015 04:58:32 pm
What is “People’s” history, and how does it differ from the traditional telling of history?
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Gabriela Ruiz
4/10/2015 04:23:20 pm
Hi Asia! After reading your post i liked how you described the different stories. I actually realized that in my post i got confused and thought the People's History was the 'false school taught story' and that the traditional history was the 'Columbus was a terrible person' story. After reading your post i see i got confused but i like how you emphasized how we really do not know what happened. There really is 3 sides to every story and unless we go back in time we will never really know how it all went down in the past. I think to make the people's story known we should publish it in textbooks for public schools. This way the teachers in elementary, middle, and high school all teach it in the curriculum and the people's story about Columbus finding America becomes the traditional story. I also kinda want to say we should stop celebrating Columbus as a hero and remove it as a national holiday. That way people are more aware that in reality he was no hero. I think that way the people's history will be more relevant and well known.
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Tanee Asberry
4/8/2015 05:02:20 pm
How do we usually think of Columbus? How does Zinn’s version of the story of Columbus differ from the traditional account? What do we think motivated Columbus’ actions?
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Anqi sun
4/10/2015 04:35:20 am
Yeah Tanee, I quite agree with you. If you have learned about the history of America, you will see that the early history of this continent was full of bloodshed death, especially in those places which was ruled by the Spanish people. In those places, the Spanish people treated their slaves very hard but almost paid nothing. Unlike the modern society, those people were usually forced to work for all day. That is why rebellion was so normal between the Native Americans and Spanish people. From my point of view, his legend was created on 50% of the fact, and the other 50% lies.
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Anqi sun
4/10/2015 04:28:05 am
How do we usually think of Columbus? How does Zinn’s version of the story of Columbus differ from the traditional account? What do we think motivated Columbus’ actions?
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Ashley De La PAz
4/27/2015 07:12:55 am
In our public school system we are told about how the Americas was found by a great man, who sailed the world to find a new land. We are taught that Columbus came here to search for gold and riches, and he met the Indians and they all got along with one another. We learned about less than of the actual story about this man that we dedicate a whole day to. In Zinn’s version of Columbus’ is very different from what most people are used to hearing, it is not your usual view of Columbus or short and summarize version. Zinn’s talks about how important this trip was to Columbus, he explains the promises Columbus had made with Spain, which said, that he would not come back empty handed. Once he arrived to the Americans we are told that Columbus that learned and got along with the Indian, but Zinn’s explain how the actual relationship was between Columbus and the natives actually was. Traditionally we do not hear much about the relationship between Columbus and the natives was, but Zinn’s goes into detail about it. Explaining what Columbus thought about them, how they were naïve and were not modern, and most importantly the author mentions how Columbus took advantage of the Indians. Throughout the first chapter we see the actual actions and intensions that Columbus had. We might think that his actions were motivated because of all the commitments he had before he went on his trip, and he knew that he could not fail because he would be punished if he did.
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