Purdue University has of late been in an uproar over president Mitch Daniels’ criticism of the use of Howard Zinn’s book in history courses taught in Indiana. (The controversy began when, as governor of Indiana, Daniels objected using Zinn’s highly slanted book in that state’s colleges and universities.) Recently, some professors staged a “teach-in” to highlight what they see as the wonderfulness of Zinn. And in her latest Dissident Prof post, Mary Grabar pushes back against the “teach-in.”
The main problem with Zinn is not that he points out bad things the U.S. government has done, but that he makes it seem as though the only heroes we’ve ever had are the radical leftists who wanted to transform America into a socialist paradise long before Obama was on the scene.