B&W photo of man, books, Strike poster

HOWARD ZINN 1922–2010

Howard Zinn (August 24, 1922–January 27, 2010) was a historian, author, professor, playwright, and activist.

Howard Zinn speaking at a peace rally • Date unknown

Biography

Zinn was a historian, playwright, and activist. His life’s work focused on a wide range of issues including race, class, war, and history, and touched the lives of many people.
Howard Zinn on the telephone • Photo by Paul Alan Smith • Date unknown

Articles & Interviews

In addition to writing books, Zinn wrote articles, had several columns, and participated in numerous interviews. Many of these are available here in print, audio, and video.
Howard Zinn at his typerwriter • Estate of Howard Zinn • Late 1970s

Bibliography

Zinn was the author of many books, including A People’s History of the United States, SNCC: The New Abolitionists, the play Emma, and his autobiography You Can’t Be Neutral on a Moving Train.

Featured News

People’s History in the Digital Age at 2025 NCSS Conference

HowardZinn.org will share a booth with the SNCC Legacy Project, Colored Conventions Project, and nine other groups under the banner of “People’s History in the Digital Age” at the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) conference, Dec. 5–6, 2025, in Washington D.C. This booth will feature digital collections of the voices and histories missing from mainstream history.

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The Legacy of Howard Zinn’s Radical History

On August 4, 2025, the podcast Borrowed and Returned aired an episode called “The Legacy of Howard Zinn’s Radical History.” From the introduction: “When Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States came out in 1980, it literally rocked the boat. Instead of starting where most histories of the Americas start — on the deck of Columbus’s ship as it approached land — Howard Zinn flipped the script, focusing instead on what the people standing on the shore would have seen.”

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