Customer Reviews

Declarations of Independence: Cross-Examining American Ideology

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Declarations of Independence is one of those few books with the power to change your life and blow your mind if you read it at the right time. There is no better introduction to modern progressive philosophy. When I stumbled on the book (soon after it first came out in 1990, in the midst of the Gulf War), I was in high school and trying to figure out some way of understanding the world beyond myself, and this was the book that helped me begin exploring. I found the insights so fresh, exciting, and provocative that I devoured the book in a few days, then returned to read it again and more carefully. I have returned to it many times since, and with every reading I am amazed at the clarity of Zinn's writing and the common sense and great decency which fills his thinking.

Declarations of Independence seeks to uncover the motives and hypocrisies in many of the ideas Americans take for granted. As a historian and the reknowned author of A People's History of the United States, Zinn is in a position to offer an incisive perspective on our present from someone who understands so much of our past. In one elegant chapter after another, Zinn meditates on American foreign policy, violence and human nature, law and justice, the American class system, just and unjust war, Communism and anti-Communism, and, of course, the use and abuse of history. In many ways, this is a broader and even more accessible book than A People's History of the United States, and just as necessary for anyone concerned with thinking their own thoughts and living a humane life.

"Declarations of Independence" should be required reading at every high school in America. The focus of this work is on the plethora of facts and events that never reach the minds of school children. It thankfully takes a swing at everything we as Americans take for granted. This book will be of great use to anyone who has ever asked of the "American system", "Why does it have to be that way?" and has gotten the answer, "Because that is the way it has always been." Zinn illuminates the social and economic struggles of the common man, woman, and child that are all too often overlooked in textbooks that strive for a glowing and idealistic reckoning over the darker, more realistic truth. In a challenging piece of reading, Zinn takes us on a journey through the common myths and misconceptions of American ideology and begs us to stop seeing the status quo as unalterable. This is a first-class book that deserves to be read by everyone calling themselves "Americans".

"There is a fable written by German playwright Bertolt Brecht that goes roughly like this: A man living alone answers a knock at the door. When he opens it, he sees in the doorway the powerful body, the cruel face, of The Tyrant. The Tyrant asks, "Will you submit?" The man does not reply. He steps aside. The Tyrant enters and establishes himself in the man's house. The man serves him for years. Then The Tyrant becomes sick from food poisoning. He dies. The man wraps the body, opens the door, gets rid of the body, comes back to his house, closes the door behind him, and says, firmly, "No.""

This quote illustrates Zinn's contention that momentous changes can occur with patience and without submission. Zinn points out that throughout history, the results of wars are not what were expected or planned, unpredicatable events occur. Given that, the "unacceptable means" of war do not justify the "uncertain ends".

This book was written in 1990 before the breakup of the Soviet Union and the end of apartheid although Zinn states the hope that such events will happen.

Although these milestones in history were yet to come, I was struck by the timeliness of the book, many sections could have been written about events and trends happening today. I recommend this book to everyone who feels swept away and powerless in America today. Read this book and do not submit.

Howard Zinn will never be a mainstream policy wonk. He is a maverick and proud of it. In a nutshell, Zinn wants a government that represents the interests of the majority...not a select few. Moreover, he dares the reader to challenge conventional wisdom and examine events through his special prism. "The struggle for justice should never be abandoned on the ground that it is hopeless," the author nobly argues. It is a major theme in chapters one through eleven of his book. Overall the author points a lot of fingers at our leaders for promoting aggression in foreign policy. In my opinion, Zinn's "cross-examination" of American idelology is a good book to read during our 4th of July holiday.

Howard Zinn has written a highly informative and enjoyable book. He takes on and demolishes some of the most pervasive myths in American history, from the "necessity" of dropping the atomic bombs on Japan to the common but mistaken belief that the First Amendment has protected free speech in America. I highly recommend this book to all readers of American history, regardless of their political persuasion.

Hardly an unqualified admirer of this country, Zinn pulls no punches in attacking America's dark past, from slavery and segregation of black people to the exploitation of workers in the early 1900s. He is also a strong critic of American foreign policy. In what may be the most controversial part of the book, he attacks the common belief that war can be just. Zinn shows that even in World War II much of the killing was unneccessary. Many conservatives will object to this, but I think Zinn makes a solid case for pacificism. Just as controversial, Zinn believes free speech in America exists basically for the rich. Class conflict is a recurring theme throughout Declarations of Independence.

This was a terrific book and I look forward to reading A People's History of the United States.

This was an eye-opening book and one I picked up after I read Zinn's People's History of the United States. While I found it profound, I passed it on to my brother who thought it read too much like a text book.

In my opinion, it's a great book for those who'd like to see a different side of American history. The results of many events covered in the book can still be seen today (eg Seattle's Pike Place Market).

I believe Mrneothinker's review is very interesting and a good reminder that critical thinking never hurts when reading anything. While he warns readers of communist teachers, I think there are enough "capitalists" on the right to balance, and you needn't worry your children will be turned into scary little commies.

If you are worried about turning into a communist if you read this book, chances are that same worry will prevent it from happening.

As an American, I feel it's just as patriotic to look at both sides of the story and decide for myself. This is an excellent place to start.

Declarations of Independence is an excellent book bringing out the reality of the United States political and economic system. This book brought the past alive, and changed my view of the United States' position in foreign affairs, as well as my view for the authority of the government within the US. The book was also very interesting to read, and it was a rarity when it dragged too much. The author's views on racial and sexual inequality, and how they were expressed and presented to the reader are impressive. The main idea of the book was to expose American ideology for what it is worth, and what it could be with changes within our society and with politics. This is an excellent book for every American who is trying to discover how they feel about issues in the country, especially around election time. It shows the reader the other points of view that are less displayed in the media, or as the author says in his opening chapter, choice's e, f, and g. This is the kind of thinking we need in society, and this book will help to get the idea's spread to the people of the United States. I have nothing but good things to say for this work of art that Howard Zinn has presented for us

Professor Zinn has done it again. A book that not only instructs, but also enlightens. A must (along with any other book or essay by Zinn) for ALL history students and educators. His discourse on "The Use and Abuse of History" - although a frequently used title - is refreshing, bold, and right on target. Dr. Zinn goes beyond the conventional narration of history (i.e., presidents, supreme court decisions, military generals, etc.), and he asks his readers to do the same, so that we may learn FROM history and not just ABOUT it. Moreover, his essay on "Free Speech" is also quite fascinating. The stories of individuals such as Staughton Lynd, Jonathan Kozol, Yosef Abramowitz, and others are must reads for anyone involved in the educational system today - public or private.

Although I have never been in a classroom with Howard Zinn, I began this review by referring to him as Professor because I feel his writings have been just as beneficial to my education as ANY class that I have taken. And without a doubt, this book has been an essential part of that curriculum.

Extraordinary work on the American Political ideology! This book remarkably discusses the American ideology and its roots. This book serves as a critical analysis of the way in which American presidents have conducted not only their domestic policy but foreign policy as well. What I liked the most in this text was the discourse on the Law, Justice and the justification of the disobedience to unjust laws. After reading this book one realizes the extent of freedom in this country and how its more of a myth in practical terms- until we do something about it now. One most important thing I would like to mention about Dr. Zinn is that he has not taken sides on any issue. He has simply laid in front of us the facts and has given us the opportunity to judge/assess for ourselves.

A great work indeed. I strongly recommend this book to be read by anybody who is an admirer of justice regardless of where he or she is from.

Revisionist historian Howard Zinn, most well known for his monumental People's History of the United States, here turns his crystal-clear lens of historical criticism to the cherished myths of American politics. After first defining "American ideology" as "a dominant pattern of ideas" in whose company belong such notions as "democracy," "national security," "free press," etc., Zinn proceeds to examine each of these tenets in more detail.

His methods are historical, in that he looks to the past for concrete examples of American political activity that can support or invalidate the self-accolades of the American body politic. His goal is political, however, in that he reveals American political ideology to be at its best, simply hollow rhetoric, and at the worst, pernicious double-speak. He argues persuasively that the democratic republic whose birth certificate (the Declaration of Independence) includes a clause supporting its own execution has been replaced by a national power which does everything (and anything) in order "to maintain the state."

Professor Zinn makes powerful arguments and reveals an abundance of historical data to challenge many cherished American institutions. "Free speech" is examined in the light of various political machinations including the Sedition Act of 1798 and the Espionage Act (under whose provisions Eugene V. Debs was imprisoned for opposing WWI). Not even the sacred cow of World War II (the "Good War") is safe from Zinn's cleaver, which reduces it to a very satisfying porterhouse of political power-mongering and governmental greed, as he argues against the very notion of a "just war."

Provocative and compassionate and very, very necessary in today's world of sound-bite media where political analysis is replaced with marketing surveys and the content of discussion has given way to meaningless aphorisms of received wisdom and grunts of derision. The Wizard does not want us to look behind the curtain, and here Howard Zinn stands smiling, with the pull-cord in his hands.