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  • Essay / Themes of Power, Race, and Class in A People's History of the United States

    The novel A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn tells the story of rulers, conquerors, rulers as well as the history of oppressed and enslaved individuals. In the first three chapters, the story is about the discovery of America during colonization by European supremacy and the emergence of a certain "Bacon" rebellion group towards the supremacy of inferiority. However, Zinn also highlights the role of several groups and the plight of intrinsic Americans. In this state of colonialism, the number of Native Americans declined by almost 90% due to the European incursion into America, the importation of slaves from other parts of the world, the ruling bourgeoisie and especially the emerging class and the fight against racism. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Before the American Revolution and the era of British colonialism that introduced the beginning of problems in America. The rebellion broke out in Virginia and burned the British capital Jamestown, a terror that forced the British to send their troops to America to keep control of the uncertainty in Virginia (Shelden and Vasiliev, 2017). Bacon's resistance movement was a group of individuals made up of poor, angry settlers fighting against the Indians and the two wealthy tycoon leaders. Bacon brought together a group of individuals particularly from the working, minority and marginalized classes. The movement was originally started by white Native Americans and later joined by black slaves. White residents were dissatisfied with the way the colony was administered. According to the colonial administration, there was a considerable gap and difference between the poor and the rich in Virginia. The moguls controlled most of the properties sought as land in eastern Virginia, causing unrest on the western frontier. As a result, many ordinary citizens feared living on the western border, while most of them were pushed back to that western border. Life was risky in this region since the Europeans had problems with the American inhabitants. Wealthy landowners and politicians used Indians as spies and allies against their competitors, thus keeping the Indians. On the other hand, the Americans wanted the rich to fight the Indians, creating conflict between the natives and the settlers. Many people lived in poverty, worked as servants, and in poor conditions in Virginia. The frontiersmen felt that the colonial government meant nothing significant to their needs in the difficult times that caused the conflict. Fortunately, the frontiers found a determined leader known as Nathaniel Bacon who formed the "Bacon" rebellion movement, which took its name from his name. Bacon notably wanted to fight the Indians rather than help the marginalized. As a result, Bacon was elected to the colonial government and became part of the House of Burgesses. However, after some time, Bacon was arrested by the governor, William Berkeley, accusing him of being a rebel because he was sending the militia, without the government's knowledge, to fight the Indians. However, nearly two thousand Bacon devotees traveled to Jamestown to protest for Bacon's freedom in the governor's office. As soon as Bacon was released, he gathered his guerrillas and began attacking the Indians (Wiegand, 2015). Additionally, Bacon's Rebellion formulated a document known as the "Declaration of the People" to legitimize therebel actions against the Indians. The newspaper merged the hatred of Indians across the borders with conventional citizens towards the tycoons. The resistance movement accused Governor William's government of imperfectly imposing unfair taxes on the natives and failing to protect western farmers from the Indians. After a few months, Bacon was assassinated at the age of twenty-nine, causing the rebellion to fall. The remaining rebels became servants of their masters again while others went into exile. While the Indians saw their security and their lands confiscated by the white borders. Over time, a group of elite individuals emerged known as “Columbus.” Columbus and his successors arrived in a densely populated region with a complex culture. Human relations were egalitarian unlike European culture. Columbus' treatment of Native Americans was heinous, abominable, and atrocious. However, he is considered one of the greatest people to have ever lived. Columbus ruined many lives, massacred and destroyed many civilians in the name of human exploration and evolution, which Howard Zinn claims is a contradiction. Columbus' main goal during his worldwide expedition was to steal as much gold and wealth as possible in order to satisfy its owners in Spain. The Spanish wanted to exercise their loyalty at home and gain supremacy in power, wealth and resources. He thus undertook expeditions outside Europe, in America and Asia, exploiting humanity with his greedy and ruthless intentions. With disunity and racial segregation in America, between whites and blacks, the powerful and the powerless, the poor and the rich, so remained after the era of Bacon's revolution. Columbus has the chance to raid and conquer America, and thus obtain his wealth through oppression and slavery. White proletarians and Africans were tormented, oppressed and used as rag dolls in the political arena of bourgeois progressives. Howard, in his book, states that there were heated controversies between the races that allowed Columbus' genocidal act to be experienced by the Native Americans (Mathews, 2015). Their controversies and social differences favored disunity and therefore the succession of Columbus and his crew. For example, when Columbus visited the West Indies, the Arawak Indians and locals cordially welcomed him and his militia. However, Columbus understands how he turned the West Indies into servants and slaves and later his attitude led to a horrible massacre, enslavement and kidnapping of many individuals. The queen of their kingdom of Spain ordered that more slaves and servants be shipped out while the other natives of the West Indies were punished. As Columbus and his militia continued to invade the Arawak Indians, they discovered gold mines in the West Indies (Mathews, 2015). As a result, the Arawaks were forced to mine gold and make money for Spanish investors. In the compulsory mining system, natives were chained with a coin around their neck to prove that they had mined enough gold. If found without the coin, the slave would automatically be sentenced to death. Undeniably, Zinn in his book describes the hidden atrocities before the American Revolution and the emergence of murderous groups like Columbus and his men. Many authors of history omit various homicides and atrocities committed before America's revolution. For example, during Columbus' invasion of the West Indies, Zinn reveals that Columbus colonized the people and made them slaves of the Spanish kingdom. Many.