Реферат: The Opressed Essay Research Paper The Oppressed
Zinn commiserates with the plight of the oppressed frontier whites,
making Nathaniel Bacon out to be a hero. Over the course of the next 80
years, Zinn cites routine injustices against the working and under
classes, saying that it ?seems quite clear that the class lines hardened
through the colonial period; the distinction between rich and poor
became sharper? (47).
It is refreshing and commendable to see a history text that takes a
stance on the side of the peoples that seldom get represented.
Columbus?s treatment of the Native Americans was atrocious, abominable,
and abhorrent, yet most history texts treat him as one the greatest men
to have ever lived. If your value as a human being is measured by the
number of lives you ruin, people you kill, and civilizations you
destroy, then Columbus is on par with Josef Stalin. This example may
seem extreme, but both men were directly responsible for the deaths of
millions on innocent civilians and caused sheer terror and panic among
millions of other people. The difference is that Columbus did it in the
name of exploration and human progress, which Zinn correctly calls a bit
of a misnomer, while Stalin did it to achieve his political ambitions,
which Columbus was certainly not without himself. Columbus committed
horrible atrocities, and Zinn accurately portrays them from a unique
standpoint, which gives long overdue respect and recognition to the
millions of Indians who died in the name of progress. Equally accurate
is Zinn?s portrayal of colonial relations. Both African slaves and
proletarian whites were pushed around, tormented, and used as pawns in
the political game of chess for the benefit of the bourgeoisie. Zinn
asserts that there were clear contentions between the races that
ultimately led to the revolution when the anger of the masses that was
originally directed primarily at the bourgeoisie was redirected against
England in the form of rhetoric, concessions, and propaganda calling for