“A People’s History Of The United States”

On The PCH

February 28, 2021

I am listening to an audiobook entitled “A People’s History of The United States.” It is our history from a different perspective. Here’s a good summary of the perspective:

A People's History of the United States is a 1980 nonfiction book by American historian and political scientist Howard Zinn. In the book, Zinn presented what he considered to be a different side of history from the more traditional "fundamental nationalist glorification of country". Zinn portrays a side of American history that can largely be seen as the exploitation and manipulation of the majority by rigged systems that hugely favor a small aggregate of elite rulers from across the orthodox political parties.

Obviously a book that has courted controversy. For me it is a helpful reminder that all the information we take in implicitly has a bias in it. My 11th grade American History book contained someone’s judgement as to what information I should know - and what I didn’t need to know. Heck, if we all observed the same event yesterday, we’d all have a different takeaway, right?

For me it begs the question, how do I know what I know and is it possible that there are other perspectives that I should consider? Much of what we learn in school represents a consensus of what we should know. If some question science, why don’t we question history?

Which reminds me that I still need to read the “1619 Project.” 😁🤙