Passionate Declarations: Essays on War and JusticeFrom the bestselling author of A People's History of the United States comes this selection of passionate, honest, and piercing essays looking at American political ideology. Howard Zinn brings to Passionate Declarations the same astringent style and provocative point of view that led more than a million people to buy his book A People's History of the United States. He directs his critique here to what he calls "American orthodoxies" -- that set of beliefs guardians of our culture consider sacrosanct: justifications for war, cynicism about human nature and violence, pride in our economic system, certainty of our freedom of speech, romanticization of representative government, confidence in our system of justice. Those orthodoxies, he believes, have a chilling effect on our capacity to think independently and to become active citizens in the long struggle for peace and justice. |
From inside the book
Results 1-5 of 9
... cause , you should accept your punishment . " " If you work hard enough , you'll make a good living . If you are poor , you have only yourself to blame . " " Freedom of speech is desirable , but not when it threatens national secu- rity ...
... “ disappearances " of civilians in custody , the root causes of the killings remain in place and the killing goes on.1o The purpose of its policy in Central America , said MACHIAVELLIAN REALISM AND U.S. FOREIGN POLICY 13.
... cause . Therefore , to build this incredibly powerful weapon was to use a terrible means , but for a noble end . And yet there was one element these scientists had in common with Wernher von Braun : the sheer pleasure of doing a job ...
... cause 30,000 American dead and wounded . ) The evidence today is overwhelming that an invasion of Japan was not necessary to bring the war to an end . Japan was defeated , in disarray , and ready to surrender . The U.S. Strategic ...
... causes of war , someone will say , " It's human na- ture . " There is ancient , weighty intellectual support for that common argument . Machiavelli , in The Prince , expresses confidently his own view of human nature , that human beings ...
Contents
1 | |
32 | |
FOUR The Use and Abuse of History | 48 |
The American Class System | 147 |
Second Thoughts on the First Amendment | 182 |
The Black Experience | 231 |
ELEVEN The Ultimate Power | 278 |
NOTES | 303 |
INDEX | 333 |