Zinn argues that the African nations were advanced in farming and had developed a feudal system, and although Africans did have slavery, it was nothing compared to the brutality and harshness of the American institution of slavery. Also, Zinn explained the formation of unions, and described several strikes and protests carried out by these unions, which fought the employers for better wages and safer working conditions. For example, in 1877, the unsafe working conditions and a cut in their already low wages angered many railroad workers. During that year "there came a series of tumultuous strikes by railroad workers in a dozen cities; they shook the nation as no labor conflict in its history had done." This kind of information is usually omitted from regular history textbooks, but Zinn isn't afraid to expose some of the darker moments in American history.
One of the darkest, most controversial, and least talked about moments in American history is the Vietnam War. Zinn is extremely critical of the United States" involvement in Vietnam, and he tries his absolute best to let the reader know every fault, controversy, and mistake that the US made during this unfortunate war. For the most part, I agree with Zinn in acknowledging that the Vietnam War did take the lives of thousands of innocent Vietnamese civilians and American soldiers. However, I believe that there is one war in which Zinn is not justified in condemning. That war is World War Two. The unprovoked attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese brought America into the war. Zinn, however, tries to give the reader other reasons and explanations for why the US joined the war and attempts to list all of the instances when America had denied freedom from people of other countries. He said that the United States had "opposed the Hatian revolution for independence from France . . . It had instigated a war with Mexico . . . It had pretended to help Cuba win freedom from Spain.