Voices of a People's History of the United States

Howard Zinn and Anthony Arnove have edited a first class reader to go with Zinn's earlier narrative, A People's History of the United States, which was first published in 1980 and has gone through several revised and updated editions. This reader is an excellent collection of primary source documents drawn from: diaries, poems, songs, speeches, letters to the editor, testimony before congressional committees, official investigations of disasters, etc. that for the most part have not gotten into the official versions of what has happened in the American past. Zinn, the principal author, does not hide his perspective. In fact, he openly announces it in a stirring introduction. He tells us, "When I began work, five years ago, on what would become the present volume, Voices of a People's History of the United States, I wanted the voices of struggle, mostly absent from our history books, to be given the place they deserve. I wanted labor history, which has been the battleground, decade after decade, century after century, of an ongoing fight for human dignity, to come to the fore. And I wanted my readers to experience how at key moments in our history some of the bravest and most effective political acts were the sounds of the human voice itself. "To omit or to minimize these voices of resistance is to create the idea that power only rests with those who have the guns, who possess the wealth, who own the newspapers and the television stations. I want to point out that people who seem to have no power, whether working people, people of color, or women-once they organize and protest and create movements-have a voice no government can suppress." He is on the side of the people of struggle who worked for peace, labor justice, unions, women's rights, civil rights, civil liberties against the forces of capital, the state, the status quo, the powerful and the privileged. This is not the sort of book that the Republican National Committee wants you to read. This is the book that you need to read if you have never heard of, or else perhaps, forgot: Bartolome de Las Casas, Frederick Douglass, Chief Joseph, Emma Goldman, Nicola Sacco, Bartolomeo Vanzetti, or Vicky Starr. It is also the book to read, if you want to go beyond the public images and official portraits of people like: Mark Twain, the novelist and critic of war and imperialism; Helen Keller, fighter against physical handicaps and vigorous socialist; Smedley Butler, Congressional Medal of Honor winner and outspoken critic of imperialism and gun boat diplomacy, or Muhammad Ali, heavyweight boxing champion and opponent of the Vietnam War and military conscription. Zinn is a master writer and the author of over a dozen books on all aspects of American history. He writes with style and verve. His facts are lined up and well marshaled for his arguments. He writes without fear and with research. His humanity is reflected on every page, as he reminds us that people make history and they do make

Zinn does indeed give us voices out of the past in this fascinating collection. What people thought, what they did, and how they lived are covered by real figures out of history - some famous, some obscure, some unknown - in their own words. An invaluable window into history and intriguing reading. Highly recommend for history buffs especially!

"Voices of a People's History of the United States" is a revelatory look at American history as seen through the voices of dissenters and the disenfranchised, presented through powerful speeches, letters, poetry and song...that, at best, helped changed the course of history, and at worst, went unheard because the messages ran counter to powerful interests. "Voices" presents the thoughts and words of conscientious objectors from Thomas Paine, Frederick Douglass, Susan B. Anthony, and Langston Hughes to Malcolm X, Woodie Guthrie, Patti Smith, and Michael Moore. The book also presents the views of unheard-of non-conformists, such as escaped slaves, exploited factory workers, subjugated women, and peace activists. "Voices" has entries for nearly every period in American history and yet are topics not accounted for in the history books, beginning with Columbus' colonization of the Americas all the way to Dubya's War on Terror. At a time when superpower nations are waging war around the world, Voices inspires the reader just as much as it roils...for the book is not only a testimony to those who have been suppressed through the ages, nor simply a showpiece demonstrating the devastating effects of hegemony, but a wake-up call and call-to-action, reminding readers that people are not as defenseless as powerful elites may have them believe. The voices presented in "Voices of a People's History of the United States" show us that, no matter what the year or the conundrum, it is indeed possible for people to defend, secure and maintain their human rights and civil liberties. Lucine Kasbarian, author, Armenia: A Rugged Land, an Enduring People

A magnificent read! History really comes alive: from Susan B. Anthony (fabulous speech before a judge) to Patti Smith, this book is consciousness raising. Highly Recommended! The pieces can be read in random order. I love scanning the table of contents and choosing either an era or a voice. I'm a great fan of Zinn's "Peoples History of the United States." This book, Voices, can stand alone or as a companion. "Voices of a People's History of the United States" is Magnificent!!!

This volume is indispensible to anyone interested in American history. Zinn offers a compendium of primary resources to go side-by-side with his People's History (also a nice companion to the Radical Reader). This volume could also stand on its own as a wonderful overview of the fight for liberty and justice through American culture and political movements. Put this at the top of your list!