History As A Moral Quest Analysis

Abigail G
American History 221
Ron M
13 December 2012 History as a Moral Quest A large part of what we talked about in American history 221 was slavery and Americas ability to over come slavery. Looking back at what our nation has overcome is an amazing thing, however it seems that most of what our nation has struggled with has been brought on by our own selves and our choices as a nation. Learning history is a wonderful way to not make the same mistakes twice. It teaches todays Americans not only what happened but also how our nation was founded and what kind of foundation America was built on. Slavery a very trying and tough time in America had a large affect on both whites and blacks. Howard Zinn says “The memory of oppressed people is one thing that cannot
The history of any country, presented as the history of a family, conceals the fierce conflicts of interest (sometimes exploding, often repressed) between conquerors and conquered, masters and slaves, capitalists and workers, dominators and dominated in race and sex. And in such as world of conflict, a world of victims and executioners, it is the job of thinking people, as Albert Camus suggested, not to be on the side of the executioners.” (Howard Zinn, A People's History of the United States: 1492 to Present). This theory shows that we have the ability to learn from our mistakes, but America has not taken the opportunity to do change. Though we have not repeated many past mistakes we have not taken the chance to change. Zinn says we have not become communities with other nations he is correct in the fact that America is nice to other nations and that we have built cordial relationships with other nations but we have not built a community with them. If America were truly learning from past mistakes and changing we would have made efforts to build friendships and a community with other nations rather than economic