Preview

The Life and History of Howard Zinn

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1033 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Life and History of Howard Zinn
Howard Zinn was born on December 7 19922 in Brooklyn New York. Zinn was raised in a working-class family in Brooklyn, and flew bombing missions for the United States in World War 2, which experience he uses to shape his opposition to war. Howard Zinn is one of the most respected historians, the author of various books and plays, and a passionate activist for radical change. A clear statement of his nature is his autobiography You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train. He is perhaps best known for A People's History of the United Sates, which presents American history through the eyes of those outside of the political and economic establishment, like the Native Americans, slaves, women, blacks, etc. In his essay "Violence and Human Nature" Howard Zinn points that; even if humans are capable of violent behavior, it is social conditions that harness that cruelty. He warns us to steer clear of the widespread notion that humans are biologically predisposed to violence and warfare.

Mr. Zinn starts off by using an arsenal of famous thinkers, pointing out their pessimistic views and believes on human behavior. Views based on no concrete evidence that we humans are born with this trait called violence. Zinn starts off using Machiavelli's positive view in the "The Prince" that humans tend to be bad. Zinn add great minds such as Einstein and Freud and their correspondence to illustrate their own views on the subject, and their conclusions that humans are violent by nature. Other scholars are also thrown in to support this traditional view of human nature being evil.

The writer goes on with the idea that scientific evidence doesn't proves it, and that is the notion that humans are in nature prone to violence. Howard picks on some scientific fields to show as that there is no evidence of human instinct for the kind of aggressive hostility that characterizes war. He turns to sociobiology, where the Harvard professor E.O Wilson in his book "On Human nature" answers with a yes on

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    He does not care to qualify into black, whites, or Native American he loves everyone’s American history and cares to tell all their stories. In the afterword of Howard Zinns “A People’s History of the United States” he tells us his view of American history as “there is no such thing as a pure fact, innocent of interpretation.” He believes that for every fact there is judgment and other facts being left out. He tells us that he will tell the stories of wars not through the eyes of the generals and diplomats but through the eyes of the GIs, the parents who got the telegram of “the enemy.” He comes to find out how twisted and wrong the history of America is by realizing that it’s only a “white mans history.” Not very much of America’s history deals with the Native American’s or the African American’s, but they were there too just as much as the white man. He explains that from when he was in first grade to grade school they only taught him the white man’s history behind the landing of Christopher Columbus and the famous Louisiana, Florida purchase. Never once did they tell us what really truly happened behind those events and how awful it really…

    • 605 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Zinn Chapter 12 Essay

    • 417 Words
    • 2 Pages

    In the 1890’s, imperialism became a universally known word. Business understood imperialism as a chance to expand their commerce and extend free trade, however, laborers understood imperialism as a distraction from the true issues of their needs, and the government saw imperialism as a chance to expand on America’s interest. Imperialism meant taking Cuba for the millions of dollars that its trade and land offered. Cuba still lies under the Americans imperialistic rule . While there are effects of greater economy and a land of free trade, the methods by which this expanse was gained were in my opinion, reckless.…

    • 417 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Zinn Chapter 9

    • 1538 Words
    • 4 Pages

    2. What actions did the U.S. government take to support slavery? Do these actions support Zinn's assertion on p. 139 that "Such a government would never accept an end to slavery by rebellion"? Why would the white elite want to determine when and how slavery would end?…

    • 1538 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    1) The Vietnamese complaints against the French both in the letters to President Truman and the 1945 Declaration of Independence, were based on the levying of unjust taxes, increasing the poverty of the rural populace, exploitation of mineral and forest resources, massive starvation, and imprisonment of those who would rebel or question their colonial power. In the long list of grievances against the French stated in the Vietnamese Declaration of Independence, “They have invented numerous unjustifiable taxes and reduced our people, especially our peasantry, to a state of extreme poverty”. Ho Chi Minh stated in his letter to Truman, that it was strictly for humanitarian reasons he need to revolt, and that “two million Vietnamese died of starvation during winter of 1944 and spring 1945”, and that it was “because of starvation policy of French who seized and stored until it controlled all available rice”. These seem like these conditions were a common occurrence at the time in Southeast Asia, where native people under the domination of French colonialism were not treated with dignity and not even given sufficient bare human necessities to live their lives. (Zinn Ch. 18 Pg. XXX)…

    • 1126 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Howard Zinn (August 24, 1922 – January 27, 2010) was an American historian, academic, author, playwright, and social activist. Before and during his tenure as a political science professor at Boston University from 1964-88 he wrote more than 20 books, which included his best-selling and influential A People's History of the United States.[2] He wrote extensively about the civil rights and anti-war movements, as well as of the labor history of the United States. His memoir, You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train, was also the title of a 2004 documentary about Zinn's life and work.[3]…

    • 311 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    warrior gene

    • 448 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Are people born to be violent? That was one of the questions on the video leading to the Warrior Gene. The warrior gene indicates that some individuals are born with the war gene. Henry Rowland was born in Washington D.C. when his parents divorced at an early age. The separation between his parents caused him to develop anxiety. Rowland expresses in the video that he often thinks to himself why he is the way he is always filled with fury. Rowland goes on a mission to look for some answers that might explain if his fury might contribute to the warrior gene. Henry met a diverse group of people so they can be all tested for the warrior gene. Most of the people tested come from violent backgrounds. Are humans shaped by the environment or genes? Everything is created by the environment we grow up and the gene might not always be accurate. Although, the video indicates that the gene portrays in our behavior. As a child Rowland got bullied at school by a group of kids which he feared, turning his fear to anger leading to violence. Rowland interviewed ex gang bangers, bikers, entrepreneur, and mix martial arts men to take the warrior gene test. The video explains, gene that serotonin is associated with feeling good and when released if not broken down after being released, a good mood can quickly turn bad. Dr. Burnner theorized genes plays an important part in shaping human behavior. In addition, the warrior gene is found in x chromosome which men have one copy and women have two that may counteract the effect of the mutation. If MAOG is unable to control serotonin levels it’s at higher risk of having abnormal behaviors at a point in life. When many of the groups tested for the warrior gene got their results back, many got a big surprise because many believed they had warrior gene, but did not have it. When Rowland finds out he does not have warrior he looks disappointed about the news because he was…

    • 448 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Training Kids to Kill

    • 676 Words
    • 3 Pages

    In my opinion he clearly thinks that children are being conditioned to violence and possibly even to kill through the negligence of the media, the TV networks, movies, violent video games, and even the lack of parenting. I agree with him on this matter completely. I do feel that violence is often glorified because it brings in a lot more money than it would without it. Some people might be getting reprogrammed by all the killing and violence in games and on TV. They may be desensitized actually to the point where they could kill someone without a second thought. I feel they are really targeting our young boys the most. It could possibly be to get them conditioned to be a part of the military when they are…

    • 676 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Margaret Mead Warfare

    • 1109 Words
    • 5 Pages

    In Warfare: An Invention- Not a Biological Necessity, Margaret Mead states that war is a creation of man, not a necessity we need in order to thrive. She begins by stating that those who believe war is a biological necessity see men as aggressive by nature. This natural aggression leads men to need an outlet for their frustration which, in this case, is war. She proceeds to suggest that war is a creation of society. The origins of war, such as the struggle for land and natural resources, are not man’s nature, they are the nature of the society and history. Lastly, Mead points out that war is inevitable until we change our social system and our desire for power and possessions. If this change of system is successful, “warfare would disappear,…

    • 1109 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Bobo dolls are specifically designed to be hit so this may have encouraged children to…

    • 627 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The high incidence of aggressive behaviour across cultures and through time has led evolutionary psychologist to conclude that the adaptive and functional benefits of aggressive behaviour must outweigh the possible costs (Buss and Duntley, 2006).…

    • 2104 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    REDUCTION IN AGGRESSION AND PEACE From the perspective of evolutionary psychology, aggression is not singular or unitary phenomenon. It represents a collection of strategies that are manifested under specific contextual conditions. Evolutionary psychologists attempt to understand human behavior by studying the role of evolutionary pressures on modern humans. One of the most interesting areas of study for evolutionary psychologists is human aggression. According to Live Science, humans are one of the most aggressive species on the planet.…

    • 1859 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    War is so omnipresent and commonplace in human history that some scientists even claim that people's war-proneness could be explained by natural predisposition dictated by genes. Even though a military conflict is too complex to be triggered by nothing but an innate inclination, aggression that fuels it seems to be integral to social behaviour. Therefore, war can be regarded as an inescapable part of human existence.…

    • 425 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Most of the experts believe that war is an inevitable part of human nature, whether it is national or global. Freud,for example, believed that all animals are born with potent aggressive instincts and the anthropologist, Goddell claimed, in a detailed and well analyzed…

    • 1093 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Professor Kevin M. Beaver and Joseph A. Schwartz believe, “that a warrior gene has been demonstrated to be related to aggressive and violent behavior. In fact, humans with a low-activity form of the MAOA gene are much more prevalent in populations with a history of warfare. These individuals are also more likely to join gangs and to use weapons in committing crimes than other persons” (Hickey 48). Beaver and Schwartz believe that the theories proposed over the past half-century have focused entirely on environmental explanations of criminal and antisocial behavior. The explanation of criminal and antisocial behavior is their biggest concern of all the literature available. According to a study done by Weisburd and Piquero, “criminologists did…

    • 881 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Is War Inevitable?

    • 1032 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The modern human mind has sought to present findings and evidence that would lead to some form of an indication or conclusion regarding the inevitability of war through the multifarious fields of science and technology; anthropology; political science; economics; psychology (both humanist and evolutionary); and cultural studies. The general perception for most people – gauged through academic surveys and Social Networking websites – is that the innate biological tuning, socio-cultural infrastructure, geo-political systems, economic scarcity, and the massive amounts of arsenal possessed by mankind will never allow humans to transcend the atrocities of brutality, violence and aggressive bloodshed. Unfortunately, those general perceptions are not unsubstantiated: latest scientific research in the field of genealogy has blamed the Y-Chromosome for man’s propensity to wage war. Further anthropological studies have reiterated and reinforced the fear that clearly lays down the innateness of a tendency towards war, which, subsequently, implies that war is inevitable. However, that is not the complete picture. "Statistically, it is more common for humans to be cooperative and to attempt to get along than it is for them to be uncooperative and aggressive towards one another," says anthropologist Robert Sussman from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. With a growing number of experts now arguing that the urge to wage war is not innate, and that humanity is already moving in a direction that could make war a thing of the past, this essay will, based on further research done in the above stated fields, argue against the inevitability of war based on the following grounds: biologically, new research combined with cross-cultural findings and a deeper insight into the evolutionary development of human beings will show how the “innateness” of war is a myth; socially, we will take a look at the development of a new society in the modern era…

    • 1032 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays