Debunking Howard Zinn: Exposing the Fake History That Turned a Generation against America Paperback – July 28, 2020

Graber, Mary (2019). Debunking Howard Zinn: Exposing the fake history that turned a generation against America. Washington, DC: Regnery.This is an excellent, useful, and necessary book. Too many Americans, at university and secondary school level, have been misled by Zinn’s People’s History of the United States. Even Zinn, in his preface, admits his is not good history, a judgment confirmed by every serious historian who has reviewed the book. It was given cache by the movie Good Will Hunting, and by similarly flawed books such as Loewen’s Lies My Teacher Taught Me. These books present a radical, Left, view of history, a Marxist, revisionist, and error-filled approach to American History. Zinn purports to tell history from the point of view of “oppressed” peoples: the Indians, the poor, workers, women, blacks. He is not concerned with getting the story right, so much as presenting what he considers the views of these groups.Contrary to the assertions in Loewen and Zinn, we have had excellent American Histories, such as that of Commager and Morison (The Growth of the American Republic). Samuel Eliot Morison (Oxford History of the American People) was also an expert on Christopher Columbus, gaining one of his two Pulitzer Prizes for his 1941 Admiral of the Ocean Sea. Morison not only immersed himself in the primary sources, but—a real sailor—actually retraced the voyages of Columbus. Although the original Journals of Columbus have been lost, much of them was preserved by his son, and by Bartolome de las Casas (the famous Defender of the Indians), an admirer of Columbus, who had access to them. A careful reading of these primary and early sources present a very different Columbus, and very different American Indians, than those presented by the New Left “Historians,” Stanton Lynd, Howard Zinn, and Loewen. The Native Americans were not the “Noble Savages” of Rousseau, but warlike and slave-holding peoples. The New Left radical/revisionist historians began during the 1960s their all-too-successful effort to delegitimize America in the eyes of the teachers and students and, through them, with the wider culture. That misrepresentation is based upon misuse of history and sources, in many cases not merely wrong, but dishonest. Morison’s views on American History were later disputed, esp. by African Americans, and he made some revisions, but always followed the evidence. Morison was a prolific and much-honored historian, teaching at Oxford and Harvard, winner of every prize in sight.The Taino (Arawak) Indians encountered by Columbus were warlike, engaged in constant warfare among each other, and in defense against marauding cannibalistic and enslaving Carib Indians. The Taino had themselves taken over the Caribbean Islands from predecessor Indians. Columbus on his First Voyage established the first European colony at Navidad on Hispaniola: all 39 were murdered by the Indians. Of course, later, Europeans encountered other Native Americas—the Aztecs in Mexico, the Inca in Peru, and many tribes, such as the Irroquois and Hurons, and the Apache and Comanche (Cf. Empire of the Summer Moon) in North America—who were warlike, imperialistic, and murderous: scalping, torture, rape, indiscriminate killing of men, women, and children (as set forth in the Declaration of Independence: “He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavored to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.” The North American Indians regularly engaged in warfare with each other, and sought European allies in these conflicts, too often joining with the losing side (The French, the British, the Confederacy) and suffering the consequences.Columbus lived in a world which took slavery for granted, especially of conquered peoples. Slavery was common in Europe, Africa, Asia, and in the New World, including among the Indians. The Pope and the Spanish Kings publicly declared that all peoples, including Indians, had souls, and should be treated fairly, and denounced slavery. Columbus ordered that his men treat the Indians fairly, and that they be converted, not forced.There are many excellent favorable reviews of Graber’s book on Amazon, while the negatives-- those favorable to Zinn-- betray their bias by ad hominem attacks.

The title of this book doesn't do justice to the remarkable content, and certainly limits readership. That is very unfortunate since this should be a required book to read for all public school teachers, legislators, politicians, parents, professors, celebrities, activists, and media personalities. Most likely only conservative-minded people will read it. That's a shame because those are not the ones who need to read it - unless they only want to validate their own tendencies to reject modern revisionist narratives. This book is remarkably well-done. It's too bad only some will read it and know the truth. Meanwhile, false narratives continue to be what students and the general public hear. I've spent time in the Dominican Republic, and know the people still think quite highly of Christopher Columbus because they have their own historical records, and memories passed down through the generations. They are not contaminated by the false histories perpetuated by Americans who make money generating hate - all based on lies - not facts. It's too bad most Americans have been steered to believe untruths about our rich and wonderful history. This book restores common sense to American history by actually reviewing the historical data, unadulterated. I'm deeply grateful I read this book. It was a wise investment, and it's a great one to have in your personal library so you can teach the truth to the generations to come.

I just finished reading "Debunking Howard Zinn: Exposing the Fake History That Turned a Generation Against America" by Mary Grabar. Zinn wrote "A People's History of the United States". Zinn's book is in academic libraries across America. It's required reading in a lot of high schools and universities. Zinn's book is complete bunk from beginning to end. I have read large passages from Zinn's book before reading "Debunking" by Grabar. I knew Zinn's book was anti-American. But now I'm shocked as I contemplate that Zinn's book is accepted as truth and is taught so across academia. It's shocking. Grabar illustrates page after page where Zinn lied, plagiarized, omitted crucial segments of his quotes from historical authors, and completely misrepresented stories. It's mind-blowing. I thought he was just biased. I had no idea he lied so deeply about so much. From the beginning of the new world and beyond the Vietnam era, he never told the truth about any of it. Yet, his work is heralded as the "real American history." If by chance your child or college student is reading this garbage and you need some back-up, read "Debunking Howard Zinn" by Mary Grabar and save your child from being indoctrinated.

This is REAL historical analysis rather than the ideological driven polemic which is the subject of her excellent, and sourced, chapter by chapter debunking. Mary Grabar does all students of history a great service in this wonderful book. A must read.

Excellent job by Mary Grabar. This book shows the lies and manipulations that Howard Zinn's book is full of. He wanted people to hate America and he perverted history to do it. Imagine if someone were to right a 'Peoples History of Africa/Middle East/India/Asia', etc', type of book as Zinn did with America. You would not have to make up anything, all the slavery, genocide, rape, oppression, corruption,etc would be real. Zinn did not give America a fair shake at all. And Zinn ignores all the amazing good America does and has done. All those other countries are still practicing slavery and often still have genocides, but Zinn does not want anyone to realize that. America has sent Billions of dollars, doctor's, medicine, food and protection to all those countries that still practice the worst forms of oppression. Time to start keeping score, time to stop apologizing. I once had an Indian friend attack Canada as evil,oppressive and racist. I reminded him of all the slaves, Untouchables, and child rape that occurs in India today and in the past, and all the programs Canada has to help Indian Immigrants, he had no comment on that. Nearly every nation on earth has a Native population, can you guess which countries offer their Natives land, free school, tax breaks, jobs? It is U.S.A., Canada and Australia. In the Middle East they kill the Yazidis, lets compare how the natives are treated here compared to everywhere else. Criticism to the U.S.A. should always be answered with "lets keep score, lets compare us to other countries".Great book, read it.

Anders als der Amazon Kunde welcher dieses Buch mit 2 Sternen bewärtet hat, muss ich dieses Buch loben.Das Buch tut was es verspricht, es zeigt die Fehler und versteckte Propaganda in Howard Zinn's Buch und tut dies mit guten Fussnoten und Quellen mit welchen man tiefer in die einzelnen Elemente eintauche kann.Die Rezessioun des Amazon Kunden lässt mich glauben dass die Person das Buch nicht gelesen hat und nur eine negative Bewertung abgeben wollte!

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Far too many people, including educators, are under the serious misapprehension that Howard Zinn offers history.It is biased, ideological nonsense. The author does an excellent job in exposing the fraud for what it is.