A People's History of the United States Archives

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People’s History: One of ‘The 14 most important books for designers to read right now’

In a January 21, 2021 article, Fast Company asked 'top designers and thought leaders to recommend books that designers should read to expand their thinking beyond the traditional design text." A People's History of the United States kicks off the list.

L.A. students of color in lime green shirt

A People’s History Inspires Students’ Political Activism

In an experiment with nearly 700 students from nine Chicago-area schools, Matthew Nelsen (a PhD candidate in Political Science at Northwestern University) gave out readings on the abolitionist movement, the National Farmworkers Association, and the Chinese Exclusion Act. Half of the readings were from the corporate textbook The American Pageant and the other half from A People’s History of the United States. Afterwards, when Nelsen asked students to report on their willingness to participate in political activities (voting, campaigning, or demonstrations), Black and Latino youth reported a greater willingness to participate when they read passages from A People’s History.

Bustle: 15 History Books You Didn't Get Assigned In School But Definitely Need To Read | HowardZinn.org

A People’s History: “You Didn’t Get Assigned in School But Definitely Need to Read”

Bustle.com • Sept. 22, 2017
Right now all around the country, Confederate statues are being taken down, and the issue has the nation divided. On one side, Americans are ready to let go of memorials that glorify the leaders who fought to preserve slavery and promote racial discrimination, and on the other, people are claiming the removal of these monuments is an erasure of history. For those people who are worried that this country's narrative won't survive taking down these painful reminders of hatred, racism, and bigotry, these essential history books you didn't read in school will fill in all those gaps and more.

Bashing Howard Zinn: A Critical Look at One of the Critics

Alison Kysia • Zinn Education Project • November 18, 2013
Since the death of historian Howard Zinn in 2010, a number of scholars and politicians have targeted Zinn’s work in an effort to undermine his influence among educators.

‘Howard Zinn Read-In’ Celebrates Power of ‘Dangerous’ Education

By Andrea Germano
Former Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels' attempt to censor Zinn's classic 'A People's History' backfires, sparks ongoing interest in late historian's work.

Zinn at the 2008 NCSS | Photo by Steve Puppe/NCSS.

“Indiana’s Anti-Howard Zinn
Witch-hunt”

By Bill Bigelow • Common Dreams • July 18, 2013
Howard Zinn, author of A People’s History of the United States, one of the country’s most widely read history books, died on January 27, 2010. Shortly after, then-Governor of Indiana Mitch Daniels got on his computer and fired off an email to the state’s top education officials: “This terrible anti-American academic has finally passed away.”

Academic Freedom 101 | Illustration by Gary Varvel | The Indianpolis Star

Mitch Daniels Attempted to Ban Zinn’s “People’s History” as Governor

"The Associated Press published an article based on e-mail records it obtained under Indiana's open records laws. Those e-mail records showed Daniels, while governor of Indiana, asking that no public universities teach the work of Howard Zinn."

Banned Book Cover: A People's History of the United States

A People’s History Banned in Tucson Schools

"Last week, the Tucson Unified School District eliminated a popular Mexican American Studies program in local high schools that, in a short period of time, had done a lot of good."

Howard Zinn’s History

By James Green • May 23, 2003 • The Chronicle of Higher Education
A sellout crowd filled the 92nd Street Y in New York recently to celebrate a publishing milestone: the sale of one million copies of Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States. First published in 1980, the book, updated by the author, continues to be assigned in countless college and high school courses, but its commercial sales have remained strong as well. It is probably the only book by a radical historian that you can buy in an airport.

Tag: A People’s History of the United States

People’s History: One of ‘The 14 most important books for designers to read right now’

A People’s History Inspires Students’ Political Activism

A People’s History: “You Didn’t Get Assigned in School But Definitely Need to Read”

Bashing Howard Zinn: A Critical Look at One of the Critics

‘Howard Zinn Read-In’ Celebrates Power of ‘Dangerous’ Education

“Indiana’s Anti-Howard Zinn
Witch-hunt”

Mitch Daniels Attempted to Ban Zinn’s “People’s History” as Governor

A People’s History Banned in Tucson Schools

Howard Zinn’s History

Read, Learn, & Make History

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