Conflict in Early American History - The Difference of Enlightenment

The portrayals of John Winthrop in Paul Johnson's A History of the American People and Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States: 1492-Present showcase the fundamentally different philosophical viewpoints of the two authors. The treatments of John Winthrop show Zinn to be an enlightened humanist, whereas Johnson thinks in a surprisingly similar manner as the Puritans about whom he writes. Howard Zinn places a great deal of importance on the human rights of all those involved, including the American Indians. Paul Johnson shows himself to be much more interested in the historical development of Western capitalistic civilization, disregarding many phenomena of natural and human varieties.