(reviewed by JD Jung)
“I think we should be de-emphasizing the attention paid in traditional history to great military heroes, to presidents, to Supreme Court justices, to members of Congress, because our history generally has been history pulled from top down…”
The late historian Howard Zinn introduced us to new heroes such as Dorothy Day and the social-activism of Helen Keller among well-known heroes such as Rosa Parks.
Truth Has a Power of Its Own: Conversations About A People’s History is a thought- provoking collection of interviews of Zinn in 2007, presented by broadcast journalist Ray Suarez. The discussions were centered around Zinn’s best-selling book, A People’s History of the United States.
In these interviews, Zinn looked at how history is taught and, why we believe what we do. He didn’t take a simplistic view of history, as he believed in listening to those with experiences different than his own. This, in turn would provide a more complex account of history.
He also debunked myths on what we once held as fact, from Christopher Columbus to the Revolutionary War, to the U.S. labor movement, to Teddy Roosevelt and beyond. The comprehensive index is helpful for revisiting an event.
We learn of many significant but relatively unknown conflicts in U.S. History such as Bacon’s Rebellion in 1676 and Gabriel’s Rebellion. And why was class conflict among soldiers in the Revolutionary War and Civil War overlooked in our history? I learned about it here.
“Democracy requires an active citizenry. Therefore, you might say the writing of history should itself be a democratic act. It should promote democracy by giving people the idea that they too can participate in history.”
So, why have so many schools stopped teaching American Civics and Government? Is this deliberate, facilitating the election of this corrupt President and his enablers? Did Zinn have any inkling that this was to happen?
I admit that Truth Has a Power of Its Own: Conversations About A People’s History is the only book I have read relating to Howard Zinn, but it provides a fascinating introduction to his writings.
This was released on the tenth anniversary of Zinn’s death and will prompt other questions like those above, while providing a more complete view of history and how to look at it.
