Zinn

In this chapter Zinn in detail describes how slavery truely began. In past chapters the Indians were the group of people who were taken as slaves but Zinn lets us know why that could no longer happen. The Indians had actually began to out number the English and for the English to continue to try and keep them as slaves would cause a massacre. Not just a massacre on the Indians but because they have out numbered the English it would have been a massacre on them as well. Zinn let's us know why the Black's were preferred as the group of people to become slaves next. Zinn explains that blacks they came from a settled culture, of tribal customs and family ties, of communal life and traditional ritual, and when they were taken from that type of an invironment they became helpless and that's why it was easy for the English to chose them. The conditions that the black slaves were placed in were extremely horrible. The trading of slaves and the transportation became ridiculous. The English would pack as many slaves as possible on the ships to increase the profits for the trips. The passengers would be in vomit, filth, and many other bodily fluids laying on top of each other and chained. Due to this many of the slaves didn't survive the trip. Again that didn't stop the English from including more and more slaves because the profits doubled after a while for the trips.

Zinn was very well spoken in this chapter. Although I wasn't fully aware of the events with the slave trade I was informes as to how brutal it was. I was taught in school at an earlier age how the slaves were transported from the beginning. Zinn's opinion on racism and slavery not being natural but is more of a choice that we as people make is true in my mind. No one is born racist or born believing that slavery is the right way to go. People form opinions by the invironments that they are brought up in. Racism is nothing more than a ignorant way of not being able to express feelings about a person or a group of people that you don't understand. Slavery is another foolish way that we as a people created to selfishly control others. Neither one of them in my opinion is needed or has ever been needed.

Takaki

In chapter two Takaki went on to explain how it wasn't just the Indian's who were "savages" but it was now the Irish as well. This keeping in mind was all from the point of view the English who in a little more discovery seemed to savages more so than anyone else. Takaki described how the Indians and the Irish are uncivilized and they needed to be more civil. The fact of the matter is the Indians demonstrated more civility and stability than any other group of people. Their farming habits were extrememly good considering the conditions. Also not to mention how Takaki explained how they would notice the weather changes and used that to help grow things. The white men or the English in this case proved to be the most like a savage when Takaki described how they would begin to eat the other humans and turn on each other. No one was really safe with the English when they began to act the same way that they claimed the Indians and the Irish acted just like "savages". The English seemed to be a group of people who could never do anything wrong. Whatever they did they let God take the blame. They always would say that God was the reason for certain things that they did. It was what he wanted and it was his decision. Even the president at the time Thomas Jefferson claimed that they were uncivilized. He blamed the Indians for their lack of survival. He did everything he could to make them believe he was trying to help them but in reality he wanted to do what everyone else wanted and that was take over their land.

I enjoyed reading this particular chapter by Takaki. Although the descriptions of how things were is a little different than what I was taught it still was good to read. I would have liked to get both sides of the story a little more. It seemed as if everything was one sided. Even though the purpose was to tell the events in the narration of the English I would have liked to hear how they themselves did under the circumstances. What I mean by that is, I would like to know other than what they mentioned how the English really acted in savage like manners. I do however agree with most of the facts and views that Takaki speaks of in the chapter.

Zinn

In this particular passage I believe Zinn's thesis was "When Columbus and his sailors came ashore,carrying swords, speaking oddly, the Arawaks ran to greet them, brought them food, water, gifts." Zinn basically explained how it was when Columbus supposedly discovered new land. As they were sailing along a different sailor named Rodrigo saw the land first but Columbus took the credit for it and was given the reward. On this particular land the Arawak Indians lived there but because their language and ways of life weren't the same as ours and they were so eager to greet and welcome us Columbus took them as slaves. He used up all their resources and worked them so hard until eventually they had all died. With the visions that Columbus had they didn't stand a chance. The way the European's worked them made their situations become fatal. Ex: "They were worked at such a ferocious pace, and died by the thousands." It was so horrible that some mothers would do unthinkable things to their children. Ex. "Some mothers even drowned their babies from sheer desperation." Columbus did what he did for an impossible vision he had of this land full of gold. Zinn finished by pointing out how large the population was before Columbus did his damage. The Indians may not have had our ways of life but they were civilized in their own way before Columbus tried to change them.

Did things have to go the way they did in the past ot make a better future? That's the question i want to ask. In the arguement made by Zinn you would say no. It is never called for to do the things that were done to the Arawak Indians back then. My only hesitation in agreeing is who's to say that the account of the events in the passage by Zinn is true. Going by what we have been taught our entire childhood Columbus did discover the America's and none of this information is true. This is why we celebrate him and give him the credit.

In my own opinion now after doing some research and reading the article I would have to say that things did not have to go the way they did in the past to make a better future. We pride ourselves on being a coutry that is fair and just but if you look at a situation such as this we can see that isn't always true. I agree with Zinn's opinion on the subject solely because of the evidence presented in articles such as this.

about me

hi my name is tasheka washington, i am a sophmore here at BG where my major is pre-law. i am from Cleveland Heights, Oh and i am 19 years old. i love BG and i am excited to see what this class will be like in the next semester