Introduction
Howard Zinn, in his article entitled "Speaking
Truth to Power with Books", talks about columbus in the opposite prespective
with the common U.S. Government. Many people think that columbus is a hero,
because he had discovered the New World. In addition, they also claime that he is an intrepid
explorer who despite terrible odds, sailing across the Atlantic Ocean and prove
that the earth is round, but they never known about the
untold stories about him. Many people will be surprised when they read the
article and know that Christopher Columbus and his men had enslaved the natives
of the West Indies, forced them to convert to Christianity, and subjected them to violence
in an attempt to seek wealth.
Summary
In a book "A People's History of the United States", Zinn or
famous Jews author who settled in United State, writes something different
about Christopher Columbus. For those who grow up in the United States, they will
say that Columbus is a hero, Columbus is a great inventor, Columbus is a devout
Bible reader. But not with Zinn, Even though he is a citizen of the United
States, and settled there. He does not look Columbus like the other people.
Even he writes that Columbus is a murderer, a torturer, a kidnapper, a
mutilator of native people, a hypocrite, a greedy man looking for gold, willing
to kill people and mutilate people- which makes a lot of people were surprised
after reading his book. [1]
Columbus is described as someone who was very bad by Zinn in his book. Since
his arrival in America for the first time On October 12, 1492, he had started
to enslave them . It is proven through the journal that he wrote:"They
should be good servants .... I, our Lord being pleased, will take hence, at the
time of my departure, six natives for your Highnesses." These captives
were later paraded through the streets of Barcelona and Seville when Columbus returned
to Spain.[4]
From his very first contact with native people, Columbus had their
domination in mind. For example, on October 14, 1492, Columbus wrote in his
journal, "with fifty men they can all be subjugated and made to do what is
required of them." These were not mere words: after his second voyage,
Columbus sent back a consignment of natives to be sold as slaves.[4]
Beside that, Columbus was personally and intimately involved in wanton
violence against the Native people of the islands of the Caribbean, where he
landed. He encouraged his men to rape Native women as young as nine or ten; he
punished minor offenses against his domination by cutting off the Natives'
noses and ears. Resistance only inspired him to full warfare on the island
people, using, among other things, hunting dogs to literally tear the Indians
apart. Later Columbus set up a tribute system to get the gold he had been
unable to find, forcing the people to bring him gold regularly. Those who
failed to do so had their hands cut off. Columbus' men hunted the people for
sport and used the bodies for dog food. Soon forced labor was added to the list
as well, in a system which led to malnutrition and disease. The Native people
of Haiti, where Columbus established a colony in 1493, were almost completely
exterminated within one generation, due directly or indirectly to Columbus'
actions.[2]
Beyond profits, Columbus sought to
convert native people to Catholicism. In the prologue to his journal of the
first voyage, Columbus wrote to Ferdinand and Isabella: "YOUR HIGHNESSES,
as Catholic Christians and Princes who love the holy Christian faith, and the
propagation of it, and who are enemies to the sect of Mahoma [Islam] and to all
idolatries and heresies, resolved to send me, Cristóbal Colon, to the said
parts of India to see the said princes ... with a view that they might be
converted to our holy faith .... Thus, after having turned out all the Jews
from all your kingdoms and lordships ... your Highnesses gave orders to me that
with a sufficient fleet I should go to the said parts of India .... I shall
forget sleep, and shall work at the business of navigation, so that the service
is performed."[4]
Everything that Columbus has done to the original inhabitants of the
continent is malicious. He treats them just like animals. The Indian tribe in
the eyes of Columbus and his men are worthless. They enslave, kill, until rape
the women of the tribe. Even though since his arrival in the continent, he is
always treated like a king by the Indian. Whatever he ask they always give,
from food until gold, but the reply is given by Columbus even destroy them
through genocide after all that he asked fulfilled.
Critique
Howard Zinn article can be said to be almost close to perfect, because it
can change people's perception of a thing. But unfortunately, there are some
shortcomings that we found from his article. First, in his article, Howard Zinn
never tell who the inventor of that continent actually. He very balked when
Columbus is considered as a hero, because something which is described the
history is a lie. He never admitted columbus as the inventor of the American
continent. He believes that before columbus came to America, the continent has
been inhabited by the indigenous population. So it is certain that the person
who discovered the continent are the original native inhabitants, who came the
first time tens of centuries before he arrived in the new world.
Howard Zinn also rejected loudly, when Europe declare that Columbus was the
first discover the American continent in the modern era, and Columbus also the
one who spread the word to Europe that there is a new world that is located
between Asia and Europe. But unfortunately although he refused that columbus is
not the person who first landed in America, he never wanted to reveal about who
actually discovered the continent. Various sources on the internet stating that
the inventor of the Americas is a viking nation, which is already recognized
many nations like sailing. There is also the claim that Muslim traders who find
it. Even the admiral cheng ho from china was declared as the first inventor of
the continent.
There is another version of the American continent inventor, repeated
studies conducted by several the West researchers, or the study of written
sources from Muslims, Muslim scientists discovered new data that the American continent
was discovered by Muslim explorers 603 years before Columbus arrived in the
Americas .[6]
The literature explains that mulsim explorer had come to Amerika before
Columbus, the muslim historian Ibn Abul Hasan Ali al-Hussain al-Masudi
(871-957M), in his book Adh-Dhahabwa
Muruj Maad al-Jawhar (The Meadow of Gold and Quarries of Jewels), has written
that Khaskhas Sa’ied, a muslim explorer from Cordova, Spain, managed to reach
america at 889 M. [6]
Al - Masudi explained , during the reign of Caliph Abdullah Ibn Muhammad (
888 - 912M ) in Andalusia , Khaskhas sailed from Port Delbra ( Palos ) in 889 ,
crossed the Atlantic to reach a foreign country ( al - ard majhul ) . Upon his
return from the foreign continent , he took home with brought the amazing items
, which allegedly came from a new continent “America” . [6]
Since that time, the cruise penetrate the Atlantic Ocean when it was known
as " a sea of dark and foggy ", are increasingly being carried out by Muslim traders and explorers . The most
popular literature is Dr. Yossef Mroueh essay the Prepatory Committee for
International Festivals to Celebrate the Millennium of the Muslims Arrival to
the America in 1996. In an essay entitled Precolumbian Muslims in America ( Pre
Columbus Muslims in America ) , Dr. Mroueh shows the fact that a number of
Muslims from Anadalusia and West Africa arrived in the Americas at least five
centuries before Columbus . [6]
If howard Zinn would like to state the true facts, why he does not directly
reveal who is the inventor of the American continent in the modern era other
than the original population that inhabits the region for many centuries ago?
When he sould be honest argued that the Muslims who discovered the first time
the continent, Is it possible make he feel embarrassed? When he wrote the
article that discusses about honesty, why he instead does not want to be honest
about who the actual inventor of the continent? And when the world already
knows that columbus lie, why he does not tell them an honesty in fact? If so,
where is the meaning of "speaking truth"?
Secondly, does not like Morrison, who wrote kindness and the ugliness of
Columbus simultaneously in his book, Zinn through his article and book, only
reveals the ugliness of a Columbus. He is never discuss about kindness of
columbus for his country "United States" anymore. Even though, if
Columbus did not discover the American continent at that time, perhaps the European
including himself will have tribulation. Closure of Constantinople by the Muslim
forces makes them difficult to live, because they can not get the spices and the
other things they need. The discovery of a new path towards America, rescue European
from the darkness. Although Columbus never setting foot on territory that is
known as the united states now, but the map can bring the British troops
sailing and make the colony there. Until the country became a superpower now, that
occupied millions of immigrants from all over the world including himself.
When Zinn wrote his article, he is too
preoccupied writing with the viewpoint of the losers (indian), so that he
forgot to write objectively. From there, it is also proved that history is
never neutral. Surely, there is a political charge or ideology, which influence
someone in writing. Based on the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigation on July 30, 2010, Zinn
was a socialist and an anti-capitalist. That intelligence agency released a file with 423
pages of information on Howard Zinn’s life and activities. Based on Zinn’s activities in what the agency
considered to be communist front groups and informant reports that Zinn was an
active member of the Communist Party of the United States (CPUSA). So it does not wonder if he's attacking his
own country through his book.[3]
Moreover, in the writing of this article, Zinn just depends on his
experience that he got through the books he had ever read before. There are no
footnotes or references like other writers. So many academics who have
considered that he never seriously. Although that is not a huge problem, but it
can make the article be less perfect. [5]
Conclusion
Overall, the article are written by howard Zinn, about Columbus ugliness in
the past is true. He stated that columbus is a murderer, slave trader, rapist,
even a leading people in American Christianity. Everything he said was evident.
Unfortunately, the issue of who the actual inventor of the new world has not
been well described and his viewpoints as the author of the losing side is too
strong. So it makes me as a reader and critic of his article feel very
disappointed with what he wrote. The article that should talk about honesty,
instead does not tell the truth about the inventor of the Americas to be
honest. Just explain columbus from one point of view, and there is no clear
references. Perhaps those are just small mistake, but it makes his article
flawed.
Reference
[1] Anthropology off the Shelf: Anthropologists on Writing edited by Alisse Waterston And Maria D. Vesperi A John (Chapter 2: Speaking Truth to Power with Books by Howard
Zinn)
[2] A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn (Chapter 1: Columbus, The Indians, and Human Progress)
[3] Howard Zinn From Wikipedia,
the free encyclopedia
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_Zinn]
[4] Christopher Columbus: The Untold Story [http://www.understandingprejudice.org/nativeiq/columbus.html]
[5] Howard Zinn dan Sejarah Orang-Orang Kalah by Gede Dwitya
[jakartabeat.net/kolom/konten/howrad-zinn-dan-sejarah-orang-orang-kalah]
[6] Ternyata Penemu
Benua Amerika Buka Cristopher Columbus
[http://www.jelajahunik.us/2011/11/ternyata-penemu-benua-amerika-bukan.html]
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