A People's History of the United States

A People's History of the United States
2003 hardcover edition
AuthorHoward Zinn
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
SeriesA People's History
SubjectAmerican history, American politics, American foreign policy, American economics
PublisherHarper & Row; HarperCollins
Publication date
1980 (1st edition); 2009 (most recent edition)
Media typePrint
Pages729 pp (2003 edition)
OCLC50622172
LC ClassE178 .Z75 2003

A People's History of the United States is a 1980 nonfiction book (updated in 2009) by American historian and political scientist Howard Zinn. In the book, Zinn presented what he considered to be a different side of history from the more traditional "fundamental nationalist glorification of country".[1] Zinn portrays a side of American history that can largely be seen as the exploitation and manipulation of the majority by rigged systems that hugely favor a small aggregate of elite rulers from across the orthodox political parties.

A People's History has been assigned as reading in many high schools and colleges across the United States.[2] It has also resulted in a change in the focus of historical work, which now includes stories that previously were ignored.[1] The book was a runner-up in 1980 for the National Book Award. It frequently has been revised, with the most recent edition covering events through 2005. In 2003, Zinn was awarded the Prix des Amis du Monde Diplomatique for the French version of this book Une histoire populaire des États-Unis.[3] More than two million copies have been sold.

In a 1998 interview, Zinn said he had set "quiet revolution" as his goal for writing A People's History. "Not a revolution in the classical sense of a seizure of power, but rather from people beginning to take power from within the institutions. In the workplace, the workers would take power to control the conditions of their lives."[4] In 2004, Zinn edited a primary source companion volume with Anthony Arnove, entitled Voices of a People's History of the United States.

A People's History of the United States has been criticized by various pundits and fellow historians. Critics, including professor Chris Beneke and Randall J. Stephens,[5] assert blatant omissions of important historical episodes, uncritical reliance on biased sources, and failure to examine opposing views.[6][7] Conversely, others have defended Zinn and the accuracy and intellectual integrity of his work.[8][9][10]

  1. ^ a b Howard Powell (January 27, 2010). "Howard Zinn, Historian, Dies at 87". The New York Times. Mr. Zinn, delighted in ... lancing what he considered platitudes, not the least that American history was a heroic march toward democracy ... 'Our nation had gone through an awful lot—the Vietnam War, civil rights, Watergate—yet the textbooks offered the same fundamental nationalist glorification of country,' Mr. Zinn recalled in an interview with The New York Times. 'I got the sense that people were hungry for a different, more honest take.'
  2. ^ Adele Ferguson (October 5, 2005). "Controversy brews over school textbook". The Arlington Times. p. A7.
  3. ^ Prix des Amis du Monde diplomatique 2003 announcement, December 1, 2003.
  4. ^ Parayre, Catherine (February 18, 1998). "The Conscience of the Past: An interview with historian Howard Zinn". Flagpole Magazine. Archived from the original on May 25, 2001. Retrieved February 15, 2006.
  5. ^ Chris Beneke and Randall Stephens, "Lies the Debunkers Told Me: How Bad History Books Win Us Over", The Atlantic, 24 July 2012. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  6. ^ Handlin, Oscar (Autumn 1980). "Arawaks". The American Scholar. 49 (4): 546–550. JSTOR 41210677.
  7. ^ Kirn, Walter (June 17, 2007). "Children's Books". The New York Times.
  8. ^ Markowitz, Norman. "In Defense of the Late, Great Howard Zinn". History News Network. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
  9. ^ Masciotra, David (July 25, 2018). "In Defence of Howard Zinn". The American Conservative. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
  10. ^ Patrick McCarthy, Timothy (July 13, 2017). "Howard Zinn at 90: Defending the People's Historian". The Daily Beast. Retrieved April 23, 2021.

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