Howard Zinn's Columbus And Western Civilization

My understanding of history changed as a result of what I learned this unit. Prior to reading Howard Zinn’s Columbus and Western Civilization, I believed that history was infallible. I saw Columbus as a hero who paved the way for colonization in the Americas. What I didn’t know, were the covered up facts hidden from us by the improper reconstruction of history. I knew that Native Americans were abused by Europeans, but I never pondered the fact that Columbus abused them as well. “He ordered the natives to find a certain amount of gold . . . if they did not meet their quota, their arms were hacked off.”
“History, then, is both the past and the study of the past.” History can be used for many things. Some historians believe we can learn from the past, while others believe that there is a limit to the usefulness of history. I had no idea that the possibility of using history to solve today’s problems existed. Both points of view make sense. On one hand, world leaders tried to appease Hitler because they recognized that they had been too hasty in causing World
. . a group of persons united by a common error about their ancestry and a common dislike of their neighbors . . ." Historiography was originally about making one’s country seem better than others. This could be taken as if he was saying that people are united by lies about their past. As historiography developed, it became more centered around how history can be used to solve problems in the present. For example, in the middle ages, historians were trying to figure out God’s plan for humanity. Now historiography is about trying to discover hidden pieces of the past. Then again, I believe that all these methods can, and are, used in the present; however, it is up for the historian to decide. This quote from Furay says, “. . . any history we read is as much of a product of the historian . . . as of the people who actually lived the events . . .” and exemplifies the historians