If the present author gets “stuck in the middle” and ends up taking flak from both sides . . . then he will consider his critique a success and his mission accomplished! To Zinn admirers and Zinn detractors, this essay is for you!

Sometimes students must “unlearn” before they can learn; sometimes they must recognize that “established facts” are slanted to create a false view of people and events.

These two documents, the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, comprise the “birth certificate” of the United States of America; it is incumbent upon all of us to develop a basic understanding of why they were written and what they say. Together, they define our democratic and moral principles of self-government.

In general, Zinn’s approach lacks a credible way to include positive social developments in U.S. history, whether economic, intellectual, or political.