Zinn Ch. 2

I believe the main thesis that Zinn was trying to get across in chapter two, Drawing the Color Line, dealt with the idea that the racial hatred towards blacks stems from historical facts and not something that is natural. This chapter seemed to resemble similar ideas of the previous reading. There was a strong emphasis on the idea that whites enslaved and tortured blacks on the basis of their need for cheep labor for agriculture purposes. It was stated that Indians could not be enslaved since they were on their own territory and had resources available around them to fight back. Africans on the other hand, were taken from their homes and lifestyles and brought to a new land that was completely unfamiliar to them. There was also an elaborate description of how blacks slaves were treated and punished for trying to escape. The chapters also brought to my attention that slavery existed in Africa as well, which came as a surprise to me. This idea brought about some questions. It made me wonder if the black slaves in Africa were treated more like indentured servants? Would they get to keep their lifestyles and beliefs, as well as stay close to their families? It seemed that throughout the reading, blacks seemed to be more peaceful and laidback than other societies. Was it this idea that made it easier for them to be abducted as slaves or were they just not expecting it? I enjoyed this chapter. It was short and too the point. I could tell the reading was slightly biased. I feel that Zinn was siding with black slaves, and showing that all whites back in that time were bad. I tired to not let that affect the way I understood the whole chapter.