Howard Zinn: History/Political Science (Azimuths)

 As a teacher, I'm not interested in just reproducing class after class of graduates who will get out, become successful, and take their obedient places in the slots that society has prepared for them. What we must do--whether we teach or write or make films--is educate a new generation to do this very modest thing: change the world. (15)

---Zinn, Howard. "Stories Hollywood Never Tells." The Sun #343 (July 2004): 12-15.

Biographies/Archives

(August 24, 1922 – January 27, 2010)


Zinn Education Project

Democracy Now: Howard Zinn Interviews

Bill Moyers' Journal: Howard Zinn

Voices of a People's History: A Tribute to Howard Zinn

Howard Zinn Digital Collection


Resources by and about Howard Zinn


Arnove, Anthony. "Anthology for Change: Howard Zinn's Impassioned Progressive Speeches Span Four Decades." TruthOut (November 28, 2012)

Arnove, Anthony, Noam Chomsky, Naomi Klein and Alice Walker. "Howard Zinn (1922-2010): A Tribute to the Legendary Historian." Democracy Now (January 28, 2010)

Arnove, Anthony, et al. "Howard Zinn Read-In at Purdue University." We Are Many (November 5, 2013)

Atwan, Helene. "On the Loss of Howard Zinn." (January 28, 2010)

Benton, Michael and Michael Marchman. "So long—it’s been good to know ya: Remembering Howard Zinn." North of Center (February 13, 2010)

Kreisler, Harry. "Howard Zinn." Conversations with History (2001: posted by University of California Television on Youtube on June 12, 2008)

Schell, Jonathan, Marilyn Young and Howard Zinn. "Vietnam War Architect Robert McNamara Dies at 93: A Look at His Legacy." Democracy Now (July 7, 2009)

Vodovnik, Ziga. "An Interview with Howard Zinn on Anarchism: Rebels Against Tyranny." Counterpunch (May 12, 2008)

Whitney, Joel. "A People’s History of Howard Zinn." Guernica (October 27, 2004)

Zinn, Howard. "America's Blinders." Progressive (April 2006)

---. "Anarchism: Rebels Against Tyranny." Revolution by the Book (January 28, 2010)

---. Declarations of Independence: Cross-Examining American Ideology. Harper Perennial, 1990.

---. "Don't Despair About the Supreme Court." The Progressive (November 2005)

---. "Holy Wars." Democracy Now (January 1, 2010)

---. "In Depth with Howard Zinn." C-SPAN (September 1, 2002)

---. "The Myth of American Exceptionalism." MIT Video Productions (Posted on Youtube: July 29, 2019)

---. "The Omissions of U.S. History." The Tavis Smiley Show (November 27, 2003)

---. "On Anarchism and Marxism." An excerpt from the DVD Theory and Practice: Conversations With Noam Chomsky and Howard Zinn: posted on YouTube January 29, 2010)

---. "A People's History of Empire." (Video on the Graphic Novel by Zinn posted by the publisher Henry Holt: March 28, 2008)

---. A People's History of the United States History is a Weapon (Entire book posted on the site: No Date)

---. "The Problem is Civil Obedience." (1970) The Zinn Reader (Seven Stories Press; Posted on Third World Traveler)

---. "War and Social Justice." Democracy Now (January 2, 2009)

---. "Why Teach a People's History." (Video of talk given to 2008 National Conference for the Social Studies (NCSS) conference)

---. "You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train." Books of Our Time (Posted on Youtube by the The Massachusetts School of Law: May 19, 2010)

Zirin, Dave. "Howard Zinn spoke to this moment, even decades ago." Los Angeles Times  (July 8, 2026) ["Not many historians have seen their work referenced on “The Simpsons” and “The Sopranos.” Not many historians have been condemned by name by a president on the White House lawn for the “crime” of researching and writing about this nation’s history. And not many historians have taught countless people that this country’s past looks quite different depending upon the perspective of those doing the telling. This is Howard Zinn, who shaped Americans’ understanding of themselves through seven decades of activism and whose insights should continue to color how we understand the news of the day. ... At the barest-bones level, detractors attack Zinn for the same reason teachers, students and readers celebrate him: because his work inspires people to think critically, fight back and make their own history. For the authoritarian, the thought of people being inspired in such a manner is chilling. It also contradicts their politically useful belief that history only happens at the behest of “great men.” Those who’ve read Zinn — and some of the generations of historians inspired by him — recognize this to be the greatest lie of all. As he wrote: “The good things that have been done, the reforms ... all of that was not done by government edict. ... It was all done by citizens’ movements. ... What really matters is what are people doing, and what are people saying, what are people demanding.”]