Nearly four years ago, historian Howard Zinn died of a heart attack at the age of 87. I was surprised how emotionally affected I was by his passing -- I certainly didn't know him, but saw him speak on several occasions, most notably at Northwestern University, days before the Iraq War in 2003.
I believe Zinn's death had such an impact on me because his writings and life were so formative in how I began to finally think for myself. Although most of us are familiar with Zinn's seminal A People's History of the United States, the book I always reference is the lesser-known Declarations of Independence, which has been since renamed.
This work always reminds me of a passage from Frederick Douglass' Narrative, in which he had secretly obtained a book, The Columbian Orator while in the depths of despair about being a slave for life. He wrote: "Every opportunity I got, I used to read this book....[It] gave tongue to interesting thoughts of my own soul, which had frequently flashed through my mind, and died away for want of utterance"(23-24). That's what Declarations was for me: an affirmation of the "interesting thoughts of my own soul": my own deepest-held beliefs. His book thus provided a model for expressing them openly. Zinn had subtitled his book, "Cross-examining American Ideology", and challenged every one of the assumptions listed below.
What is your Columbian Orator?
This work always reminds me of a passage from Frederick Douglass' Narrative, in which he had secretly obtained a book, The Columbian Orator while in the depths of despair about being a slave for life. He wrote: "Every opportunity I got, I used to read this book....[It] gave tongue to interesting thoughts of my own soul, which had frequently flashed through my mind, and died away for want of utterance"(23-24). That's what Declarations was for me: an affirmation of the "interesting thoughts of my own soul": my own deepest-held beliefs. His book thus provided a model for expressing them openly. Zinn had subtitled his book, "Cross-examining American Ideology", and challenged every one of the assumptions listed below.
‘Be realistic; this is the way things are; there’s no point thinking about how things should be.’
‘People who teach or write or report the news should be objective; they should not try to advance their own opinions.’
‘There are unjust wars, but also just wars.’
‘If you work hard enough, you’ll make a good living. If you are poor, you only have yourself to blame.’
‘Freedom of speech is desirable, but not when it threatens national security.’
‘Racial equality is desirable, but we’ve gone far enough in that direction.’
‘Our Constitution is the greatest guarantee of liberty and justice.’
‘The United States must intervene from time to time in various parts of the world with military power...[to] promote democracy.’
‘If you want to get things changed, the only way is to go through the proper channels.’
‘There is much injustice in the world but there is nothing that ordinary people, without wealth or power, can do about it.’
What is your Columbian Orator?