Although he said many of the world’s most ‘holy’ wars have been fought for just causes, historian and Boston University professor emeritus Howard Zinn questioned whether war is ever the best option. Zinn spoke about the Revolutionary War, the Civil War and World War II to about 200 attendees at a lecture hosted by the Coalition for Social Injustice at the School of Management Auditorium. He evaluated the realities behind each war, and even drew on personal experience fighting in World War II. Wars are not called holy because of religious reasons, but because the causes are said to be justifiable, Zinn said. ‘I’m speaking about three wars that are sacrosanct,’ Zinn said. ‘Three wars that are untouchable.’ Zinn said both the good and bad aspects of the Revolutionary War have to be examined.’ The war was not widely popular and was not universally beneficial to the people living in the colonies at the time, he said.’ ‘It did not benefit everyone,’ Zinn said. ‘One third of colonists were opposed to the war.’ Class difference was apparent in the war, Zinn said. Farmers who served in the forces were usually given poor, inadequate clothing, while those who were in a higher class had better uniforms. ‘Not everyone was treated the same way in the revolution,’ he said.’ Zinn said while the country did achieve independence, the cons of the war must also be considered. ‘To simply say we won independence does not do justice to the complexity of the victory,’ he said.’ Canada is an example of a country that gained its independence from England through peaceful means, Zinn said. The Civil War is considered the next ‘holy war,’ but was also the bloodiest war in American history with death tolls reaching 600,000, Zinn said.’ ‘At the end of the Civil War there was no slavery,’ He said. ‘You can’t deny that.’ He said other ways to achieve freedom for the slaves should have been considered.’ ‘Is it possible to end slavery without a bloody civil war?’ Zinn asked.’ Zinn spoke about his personal experience fighting in World War II. At the time, he said, he thought he was fighting fascism. He did not realize the true magnitude of his actions until after the war.’ ‘In the course of the war good guys become the bad guys.’ He said. ‘War poisons people’s minds.’ Zinn said through his experiences, he found problems could be solved by other means than violence.’ ‘I came to the conclusion that war cannot be tolerated,’ he said.’ School of Social Work graduate student Liz Kalfas said she enjoyed the lecture and found parallels to Elie Wiesel’s lecture.’ ‘It’s interesting how these people who have witnessed history over time. . .see the deeper issues going on,’ she said. College of Arts and Sciences freshman Allie Cole said she appreciates that Zinn is willing discuss issues that others are afraid to talk about. ‘What’s interesting about Howard Zinn is that he confronts taboos,’ she said. ‘That’s really important because he is questioning standards and that is the only way that you can learn from your mistakes and progress.’