Howard Zinn, et al

The Damon Identity

My kid was home from college for Christmas, and I picked him up at the airport. We were driving home when he, knowing my love for American history, a subject he'd never showed much passion for, told me about the wonderful history course he was taking.  That being about the only subject I ever received grades above a gentleman's C in, I was engaged!  "Wonderful. What makes it so great?"  My remembrance is that his example was, "Did you know that Paul Revere never said "The British are Coming?" Okay, iconoclasm is a natural thing for yoots wishing to establish independence  from mom and dad.  Sort of like urinating to mark their territory. After unpacking his suitcase, he presented me with his text book, A People’s History of the United States, by Howard Zinn.  Never heard of it.  My primary college textbook was The Oxford History of the American People by Samuel Eliot Morison, but time marches on. It took me maybe 10 minutes to recognize People's History as the most vile distortion of America history I could possibly imagine.  A Father Knows Best The Andersons dad would have counseled, "Bud, let's discuss some of what this fellow Zinn has written."  Unfortunately, I'm more of the Archie Bunker type. "You don't believe this horses--t, do you- you meathead?" Which, of course, ended the discussion.  I had already decided to do a treatment on Zinn (not my first) last night, after reading this. “ BERLIN -- Historian Howard Zinn's "A People's History of the United States” is being adapted into a feature documentary. Called "The People Speak,” the documentary will feature dramatic readings and live musical performances from the likes of Josh Brolin, Viggo Mortensen, David Strathairn, Marisa Tomei Jasmine Guy, John Legend, Q'Orianka Kilcher, Michael Ealy and Kerry Washington. Four performances in Boston at Emerson's Cutler Majestic Theater have already been shot and a planned spring shoot will have Matt Damon, Sean Penn, Eddie Vedder and Steve Earle, among others. g The book, first published in 1980, presents American history through a bottoms up approach, focusing on voices seldom heard in history books such as defiant Indians, mutinous soldiers, striking workers, and rebellious women. ” Damon, surprise, attended, but did not graduate from Harvard. Prep years were spent at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School in Cambridge.  That pretty much accounts for Damon's politics, eh wot?  Oh, guess who narrates Zinn's audio book of People's History?  Yup.  Matt Damon.  But I'm rambling.  Having already decided to do the Zinn-Damon deal, I just watched this Fox and Friends segment, featuring history professor Larry Schweikart discussing his book, 48 Liberal Lies About American History. (Video at top.)  If this interests you, Schweikart's interview by Front Page may be read here. FP: In your book you discuss how the KKK is the most common 20th century image in many American history books. Your thoughts? We are about to be deluged with 10,000 Obamas, America.

FP: In your book you discuss how the KKK is the most common 20th century image in many American history books. Your thoughts?