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One of Zinn’s main points is that we will always be reminded of the violence and wrongdoings of the past (Zinn 2003, p. 9). Part of the reason is that we cover atrocities with other information that is all about the glory. It is easy to say that these wrongdoings are justified because it was necessary for progress. Zinn does not want us to criticize Christopher Columbus for the terrible things he has done because the damage has already been inflicted. Zinn says that some historians who think the treatment between Christopher Columbus and the Arawaks is legitimized in the name of progress, are only looking at it through the lens of “governments, conquerors, diplomats” (Zinn 2003, p. 9) and leaders. They may also emphasize the valor of Christopher Columbus while deemphasizing their carnage and although it was not a requirement, they decided to do so that unintentionally justify his actions.
The second most important claim that Zinn makes in his article is that a country’s history will contain numerous disputes about different interests. Ultimately these interests between the upper and lower class as well as masters and slaves, lead to violence and abusive power. Zinn states that we should not be on the side of the “executioners” (Zinn 2003, p. 10) but instead also focus on the victims and look at history from their point of view. In the Davis and Mintz article, a French philosopher in the eighteenth century named Abbe Raynal responded to the question of whether or not “the discovery of America been beneficial or harmful to the human race” (Davis and Mintz 1998, p. 37). Half of his responses argue that Christopher Columbus’s journey was harmful. He provides us with examples of what the Indians had to face such as demanding labor, overtaking of their food supply, genocide, and even the spread of disease. In just over a century, the Indian population had diminished by more than 90 percent in Mexico and the Caribbean.
The last important claim that Zinn makes is that Christopher Columbus and other discoverers after him did not just discover the Indians but they also discovered the intricate relationships between the men and women, cultures, and laws that they created (Zinn 2003, p. 21). They had good hospitality, were kind to visitors, and shared whatever they had. However, with Columbus’s pursuit of gold, he took advantage of these innocent Indians and ordered them around. Some were enslaved and many were killed at his discretion and only in some instances they attempted to escape or retaliate but often failed. Zinn also mentions that schools teach their students more about the heroism of Christopher Columbus than the atrocities that occured. Some of these students would never get a glimpse of the Indian perspective and how they lived harmoniously.
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