A People's Read-a-long! We're reading a chapter a week, and the pace is perfect. (Missed the first three weeks? Check out my posts for weeks one, two, and three.)
My thoughts: Chapter 4, entitled "Tyranny Is Tyranny," feels like a watershed chapter. Its focus is on the Declaration of Independence and its wording.The opening line of the chapter sets the stage perfectly: "Around 1776, certain important people in the English colonies made a discovery that would prove enormously useful for the next two hundred years. They found that by creating a nation, a symbol, a legal unity called the United States, they could take over land, profits, and political power from favorites of the British Empire."
What I found most interesting in this chapter was the discussion of the rights that come from owning property, and, in particular, voting. It's a clear extension of the class system. I found myself thinking of how this country would look if that were true today. I would never have been able to vote in an election. Would it make me want to own property? Perhaps. I find the very nature of property taxes fascinating. As a life-time non-property owner, I find it interesting that in most places property taxes fund schools and libraries. I'm a huge user of public libraries, and aside from fines I've paid, my taxes don't support them. Thinking of our public libraries and public schools, two tools for bridging equality, being funded through property taxes gave me pause. While I don't think owning property is necessarily a measure of class, particularly depending on where you live, it is heartening to think of those who are able to own property provide necessary public services through their property taxes.
Overall, this chapter felt very much like a continuation of the last two. I didn't have many new thoughts regarding it's content. It moved forward in time, but the theme of income inequality was the focus. It seems Zinn is setting the stage for the next big movement in history, as 1776 is a crucial year.
Favorite passage: "And how could people truly have equal rights, with stark differences in wealth?"
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