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
... leaders and accepted by the American public in 1964 , that communism in Vietnam was a threat to our " national security " led to policies that cost a million lives , including those of 55,000 young Americans . The belief , fostered in ...
... leaders ; the ones we quickly learn are the most acceptable . The result is an obedient , acquiescent , passive citizenry — a situation that is deadly to democracy . If one day we decide to reexamine these beliefs and realize they do ...
... leaders and the citizens , the millionaire and the homeless person ) deceives us . It is a deception useful to those who run modern societies , where the support of the population is necessary for the smooth operation of the machinery ...
... leaders say , is to serve the " national interest , " fulfill our " world responsi- bility . " In 1986 General William Westmoreland said that during World War II the United States " inherited the mantle of leadership of the free world ...
... leaders . One of the important biographies of President Franklin D. Roosevelt , is titled Roosevelt : The Lion and the Fox . 23 Roosevelt deceived the Ameri- can public at the start of World War II , in September and October 1941 ...
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 |