A Young People's History of the United States

Popular historical narratives of American history often emphasize celebrated heroes. These figures are often white men who had positions of power and privilege in society, and people of color or women who advanced societal values that Americans now observe. Part of what Zinn aims to do in A Young People’s History of the United States is problematize the concept of heroism by exploring lesser-known, controversial, or troubling aspects of some major American heroes.

Zinn addresses this practice directly in his brief introduction:

I am not worried about disillusioning young people by pointing to the flaws in the traditional heroes. We should be able to tell the truth about people whom we have been taught to look upon as heroes, but who really don’t deserve that admiration (xi).

He immediately lists Columbus as a prime example, citing the “rampage of violence” he unleashed “to find gold” (xi). Among other problematic heroes, Zinn names Andrew Jackson, whose treatment of Native Americans was abhorrent, and Theodore Roosevelt, who ushered in an era of American occupation abroad. However, Zinn doesn’t completely quash the idea of heroes; he aims to highlight underappreciated ones. Instead of revering Columbus, he posits, we should respect the legacy of Spanish priest Bartolomé de Las Casas, who chronicled Spanish cruelty toward the Indigenous peoples that Spain encountered in the Americas. Zinn’s other heroes include the Cherokee Indians for their resistance to colonialism in their homelands and American author Mark Twain for his open criticism of American policy. These examples and Zinn’s set of alternative heroes show that US history is complicated. Probing further than into these examples further illustrates this complexity: For instance, de Las Casas was part of a colonial machine even though he criticized it—and he once supported the international trade in enslaved people and justified the system of slavery as a whole. The Cherokee Nation adopted the practice of African slavery, though outsiders imposed colonial systems on them in the first place. Mark Twain expressed ethnocentric views about civilization regarding American Indians, though he also satirized Americans’ treatment of African Americans. Many people are worthy of celebration, but context is necessary to fully appreciate any person’s contributions, legacies, and flaws.

Several good examples of Zinn’s approach to recognizing heroes are the author’s interpretations of former US presidents. Zinn relays that George Washington—perhaps the most revered US president of all time—both denied enslaved people the option to fight in the Revolutionary War in exchange for their freedom and executed soldiers who mutinied during the war in New Jersey as “an example” (75, 79) to other would-be critics of the war effort. The complication of heroes extends beyond individuals to large causes and movements: Zinn explains how few colonists supported the Revolutionary War; the rich avoided being drafted while the poor could not—and power essentially shifted from a self-interested ruling elite in England to one in the colonies. Zinn says that even colonists at the time noted, “Whether or not the colonies won independence from Britain, they would still be ruled by a political elite” (75). This retelling of the American Revolution is not as romantic or celebratory as the storylines common in American popular culture or even most standard educational materials that depict the era, particularly if they were created before the 21st century.