Howard Zinn Columbus, the Indians, and Human Progress When Columbus came to the Americas in 1492, the whole truth about what happen to the Indians was never fully told. The Indians were killed in mass numbers. There was a population of 10 million Indians when Columbus first landed. The number of Indians was greatly reduced to one million with in a short period of time. The Indians were friendly and welcome the newcomers. The Indians died from diseases the newcomers brought to the Americas. They were also killed in mass numbers by being shot or burned to death.
The author, Howard Zinn, thought that it needed to be told from the Indians point of view. He thought it needed to be told from their point of view because he thought everyone should know all the facts about what really happened. Not because he felt sorry for the Indians but because the truth needs to be told.
Cute Indian Woman Sitting
The Cleveland Indians Sweep The Kansas City Royals
English: Historian Howard Zinn speaking in 2009Howard Zinn wanted to be blunt about what happen to the Indians. He stated how many died and how they were killed. He told how the Indians treated the newcomers.
Howard Zinn uses both secondary sources and primary sources in this writing piece. He writes that he thinks that some other writers like Samuel Eliot Morison and others didn't go into enough details about what really happen. If they did write about the mass killing of the Indians, it was only briefly mentioned. Howard Zinn also used Columbus's log and other logs by people that were there to write about what really happen.
In Howard Zinn other books, he wrote about people and what really happen to them. In the book, A People's History, he writes about the Ludlow Massacre and what really happened to the people. He also wrote many essays.