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 7
... official line . ' A close look at this pluralism shows that it is very limited . We have the kinds of choices that are given in multiple - choice tests , where you can choose a , b , c , or d . But e , f , g , and b are not even listed ...
... official violence ... and the presence of United States military advisers , working with the Salvadoran military responsible for these monstrous practices . after 30,000 unpunished murders by security and military forces and over 10,000 ...
... official reason given for U.S. intervention in Central America in the 1980s : to " restore democracy . " This , too , was hardly believable . Throughout the period after World War II our gov- ernment had supported undemocratic ...
... officials . " It goes on to suggest " that someone other than the President make the final decision and do so in his absence - someone whose head can later be placed on the block if things go terribly wrong . " ( Cesare Borgia again ...
... official capacity he was the willing intellectual tool of a policy that involved the massive killing of civilians in Vietnam . Kissinger approved the bombing and invasion of Cambodia , an act so disruptive of the delicate Cambodian ...
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 |