TOW #24 Howard Zinn "Or Does It Explode?"

Writing goal: lots of examples for each deviece

Reading goal: something a little bit longer   

     There are always two sides to every story, but often one side's story is louder than the other thus more well known. In history, we often do not hear the voices of those who are oppressed. The atrocities they face or faced are often sugar-coated or watered down, because if they were exposed for what they truly are people would be distinguished by their country and the people they are supposed to idolize. Howard Zinn, a renowned historian, feels that it's his duty to give people an accurate representation of history, atrocities and all. In his book A People's History of the United States he retells history that often vastly contrasts the one people learn in school. In the chapter "Or Does It Explode?" Zinn discusses the Civil Rights Movement of the 60's and the racism highly prevalent in the country and the government at the time. Zinn uses real accounts and statistics to explain the true extent of the discrimination black citizens felt during the 1960's.
     Howard Zinn is not a black man, and did not live during the 60's, but provided several accounts of those who did. He tells the tale of a black teenager named James Crawford, who was taking elderly black citizen to the courthouse to register to vote. There, Crawford was confronted by the deputy registar, who threatened to "[put] two bullets in [his] head."(Zinn 3) Zinn provides an actual primary source from the encounter, for another worked had taken notes on the conversation and then had them published. Zinn tells not only the account of Crawford\, but of many others as well. He recounts the story of four girls killed in a bombing of a black church, and three civil rights workers, one black and two white, who were beaten and shot by police officers after being released from spending the night in jail (Zinn 3, 4). The accounts add specificity to Zinn's writing. He does not simply say "many blacks were horridbly mistreated". That statement is makes the extent and frequency of the mistreatment hard to comprehend, and all come across as unsubstantiated. But, with the addition of several real accounts, Zinn not only gives a face to the oppressed, evoking emotions, but also adds evidence to his claim, making it undeniable that blacks faced horrendous discrimination while fighting for their civil rights.
       Zinn includes specific numbers and statics, which compliment the accounts by painting a picture of just how frequently such discrimination occurred. He explains that "[o]f 22,000 back people in Albany, over a thousand went to jail for marching, assembling, to protest segregation and discrimination" (3) and that in 3,600 people, both black and white, were confronted with violence and were arrested during sit-ins (2). These numbers add to Zinn's credibility as an author, by provide data to back up his claims, but also help the audience comprehend just how widespread the discrimination was. Many people were beaten, jailed, and killed for peacefully expressing their opinion, and the statistics show the extent of this discrimination by quantifying just how many "many" is.
     History is not always what it seems. In America the government is praised for being just, and offering freedom to all, but unfortunately this was and is not always the case. Through personal accounts and statistics Zinn portrays the discrimination faced by the black population as they were fighting for this freedom that they were promised by being an American citizen. The picture Zinn paints is quiet different than one found in a history book, but as Zinn says, "the memory of oppressed people is one thing that cannot be taken away." Those who were oppressed will never forget, and neither should we.