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Howard Zinn is famous primarily for A People's History of the United States, the book in which he presented alternative versions of American milestones, including Columbus's "discovery" of the New World. Voices of a People's History of the United States is the follow-up to that original landmark work, but where People's History contained Zinn's interpretations of events, Voices turns the platform over to others, in a collection of first-hand accounts, journal entries, speeches, personal letters, and published opinion pieces from the nation's history.
The purpose of Zinn's work, Voices included, is to engage in an act of political dissidence and activism. "What is common to all of these voices," Zinn and co-editor Anthony Arnove write in the book's introduction, "is that they have mostly been shut out of the orthodox histories, the major media, the standard textbooks, the controlled culture ... to create a passive citizenry." With Voices, Zinn and Arnove seek to address that malaise, showing that the impossible--slaves rising up against their slave masters, for example--is not only possible, but has occurred repeatedly throughout the country's history. "Whenever injustices have been remedied, wars halted, women and blacks and Native Americans given their due," they write, "it has been because 'unimportant' people spoke up, organized, protested, and brought democracy alive." The common thread throughout Voices is this mandate, and each selection is preceded by a brief introduction by the authors, written from a far-left perspective. (As an example, one section is titled "The Carter-Reagan-Bush Consensus.")
Voices often works better as a reference book than a sit-down-to-read title. Its early chapters--on Columbus, slavery, the War of Independence, and the early women's movement--tend to be more engaging than later excerpts, largely because a contrary point of view to mainstream mythology has been so rarely heard. The modern sections have a haphazard, "greatest hits of the left" feeling, as the book jumps from an Abbie Hoffman speech to the lyrics of Public Enemy's "Fight the Power." The problem may be inherent in the format of the book. Everything is treated equally, and a speech by Danny Glover is given as much weight as an excerpt from W.E.B. DuBois's The Souls of Black Folk. For context and background, it's best to stick with the original People's History, but to hear the words right from the speakers' mouths, there's no better resource than Voices. --Jennifer Buckendorff
Book Description
Here in their own words are Frederick Douglass, George Jackson, Chief Joseph, Martin Luther King Jr., Plough Jogger, Sacco and Vanzetti, Patti Smith, Bruce Springsteen, Mark Twain, and Malcolm X, to name just a few of the hundreds appearing in Voices of a People's History of the United States, edited by Howard Zinn and Anthony Arnove. Paralleling the 24 chapters of Zinn's A People's History of the United States, Voices of a People's History is the long-awaited companion volume to the national bestseller.
For Voices, Zinn and Arnove have selected testimonies to living history-speeches, letters, poems, songs-left by the people who make history happen, but who usually are underrepresented or misrepresented in history books: women, Native Americans, workers, blacks and Latinos. Zinn has written short introductions to the texts, which themselves range in length from letters or poems of less than a page to entire speeches and essays that run several pages and longer. Voices of a People's History is a symphony of our nation's original voices, rich in ideas and actions, an embodiment of the power of civil disobedience and dissent, wherein lies our nation's true spirit of defiance and resilience.
Beloved historian and activist
Howard Zinn is the author of the best-selling A People's History of the United States and many other books, including The Zinn Reader (Seven Stories Press 2000), Artists in the Time of War (Seven Stories Press, 2003) and Terrorism and War (Seven Stories Press 2002).
Anthony Arnove is the editor of Terrorism and War by Howard Zinn, and Iraq Under Siege. An activist and regular contributor to ZNet, his writing has appeared in The Nation, The Financial Times and Mother Jones. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.
Customer Reviews:
Howard Zinn's quest.......2007-02-12
Anyone interested in history, academically or otherwise, should read Zinn's work since history is written by the winners, the best fighters, the most arrogant, sonmetimes, the most patient. It would be wise
for history teachers to present "the other side". I highly recommend his work.
You'll learn a few things.......2007-01-04
This account of the history of the US is taken from the "little people's" point of view. Very eye opening.
Incredible Resource.......2006-08-26
I am a high school history teacher and I use this in class. It has been extremely helpful especially combined with the free teacher's guide which you can find online. Each primary source is introduced with a brief background which provides some context.
A strong intellectual perturbation.......2006-02-15
History is sometimes written with the goal of documenting the attitudes or opinions of a particular class of people, such as the intellectuals, the politicians, the scientists, or the warriors. Each of these groups has made important contributions to human accomplishment, which should not be forgotten or discarded under the guise of some egalitarian or multicultural reading of history. But when the stories of these groups are documented in history, too often other voices are deafened, and these voices represent the vast majority of historical participants. It is not enough to view history through the eyes of intellectuals, politicians, or warriors. For an historical account to be meaningful, it must offer insight into the collaborations, opinions, belief structures, and longings of those who chose not to become famous, but instead chose to indulge themselves in the unique fascinations that each historical epoch possesses.
But because most humans throughout history did not record their experiences, the historian is left wanting for accurate appraisals of these experiences. Diaries, journals, and other personal writings can assist the historian in this regard, and there have been many uses of these throughout the historical literature. It is important to remember though that because of the paucity of these personal documents, one should not be too hasty in imputing the opinions of their authors to the entire population at the time. One cannot view them as representing the "voices of the people" without establishing this with (difficult) statistical analysis.
Sometimes however these documents were written more as a catharsis, as a way of expressing, in a strong and determined way, an idea, grievance, or opposition to the status quo. The opening quotation in the book by Frederick Douglass reinforces this view, for in that quotation Douglass essentially states that power must be challenged before it can be defeated (Douglass does not want to stop with mere words though, for in the same quotation he asserts the need for physical confrontation if necessary).
It is in this light that this book should be read. It is a collection of essays and letters that reveal attitudes that are not the typical ones that one would be exposed to in United States secondary schools. Those readers familiar with the author's earlier book on United States history will appreciate this book even more, but both can be read independently of each other. This is not a book that will please the elitist historian who discounts any view of history that does not magnify the contributions of intellectuals or military leaders over and above the "common" person. It is a book for those who are genuinely interested in the moods and aspirations of the people of a given time, if only from a limited vantage point. It will certainly upset the intellectual equilibrium of anyone who holds to a view of American history that has been sanitized by the educational establishment.
Simply terrific.......2005-11-20
Howard Zinn does a magnificent job bringing American history alive in this book. He tells history from a different point of view than most history books. History is shown from the point of view of people such as war protesters, civil rights activists, and even a Hiroshima survivor. I am a big fan of American history, and I can say I enjoyed this book as much as any one I have ever read on the subject. Whether the reader is conservative or liberal, he will enjoy this book.
Book Description
To celebrate the millionth copy sold of Howard Zinn's great People's History of the United States, Zinn drew on the words of Americans -- some famous, some little known -- across the range of American history. These words were read by a remarkable cast at an event held at the 92nd Street YMHA in New York City that included James Earl Jones, Alice Walker, Jeff Zinn, Kurt Vonnegut, Alfre Woodard, Marisa Tomei, Danny Glover, Myla Pitt, Harris Yulin, and Andre Gregory.
From that celebration, this book was born. Collected here under one cover is a brief history of America told through dramatic readings applauding the enduring spirit of dissent.
Here in their own words, and interwoven with commentary by Zinn, are Columbus on the Arawaks; Plough Jogger, a farmer and participant in Shays' Rebellion; Harriet Hanson, a Lowell mill worker; Frederick Douglass; Mark Twain; Mother Jones; Emma Goldman; Helen Keller; Eugene V. Debs; Langston Hughes; Genova Johnson Dollinger on a sit-down strike at General Motors in Flint, Michigan; an interrogation from a 1953 HUAC hearing; Fannie Lou Hamer, a sharecropper and member of the Freedom Democratic Party; Malcolm X; and James Lawrence Harrington, a Gulf War resister, among others.
Customer Reviews:
Not the version I wanted.......2007-03-08
The excerpt from the Spanish priest on Santo Domingo does not contain the most powerful passage that I've heard read. It concerns the execution of an Indian chief who when asked if he wanted to convert to Christianity before his execution, asked if all Christians went to heaven. Told they did, he said he'd rather go to the other place.
Howard Zinn - a true American.......2006-11-10
Very interesting book, the variety of people is wonderful and well thought out. It takes someone special to look at their own country and not shy away from painful parts of our history. The only way to move forward is to learn from the real past not the rosy schoolbook history that been sanitized.
Average customer rating:
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Bringing Back the Bay: The Chesapeake in the Photographs of Marion Warren and the Voices of Its People
Marion E. Warren
Manufacturer: The Johns Hopkins University Press
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ASIN: 0801849063 |
Book Description
Every child will find an ancestor or contemporary in this collection of personal narratives that tells the story, chronologically, of immigrant groups in this nation. From the first human residents of North America, to the mass of Europeans in the 1800's, to today's modern Americans, each group has made significant and lasting contributions to the ever changing culture of the United States.Through the letters and oral histories, first person accounts and biographies, children will reflect on the many different
Customer Reviews:
Young Immigrants Featured Review.......2004-12-06
The Fire Escape normally doesn't review non-fiction, but I had to bring this chronological story of America to your attention. If you're looking for one "textbook" to teach upper elementary or middle school students about immigration in America, the Hooblers have provided it. The book begins with speculation about immigration in prehistoric times and ends with an overview of what's happening today. Kids and adults alike will enjoy the stories, letters, and photos of immigrants who recount their own stories. As the jacket flap puts it, "Every child will find an ancestor or a contemporary in this moving story of the immigrant experience." I couldn't put it down, and especially liked the "people movement" take on American history.
Book Description
In this second volume of interviews conducted by Nebraska judge Eli S. Ricker, he focuses on white eyewitnesses and participants in the occupying and settling of the American West in the nineteenth century. In the first decade of the twentieth century, as the Old West became increasingly distant and romanticized in popular consciousness, Eli S. Ricker (1842-1926) began interviewing those who had experienced it firsthand, hoping to write a multivolume series about its last days, centering on the conflicts between Natives and outsiders. For years Ricker traveled across the northern Plains, gathering information on and off reservations, in winter and in summer. Judge Ricker never wrote his book, but his interviews are priceless sources of information about that time and place, and they offer more balanced perspectives on events than were accepted at the time. Richard E. Jensen brings together all of Ricker's interviews with those men and women who came to the American West from elsewhere-settlers, homesteaders, and veterans. These interviews shed light on such key events as the massacre at Wounded Knee, the Little Bighorn battle, Beecher Island, Lightning Creek, the Mormon cow incident, and the Washita massacre. Also of interest are glimpses of everyday life at different agencies, including Pine Ridge, Yellow Medicine, and Fort Sill School; brief though revealing memoirs; and snapshots of cattle drives, conflicts with Natives, and the construction of the Union Pacific Railroad. Richard E. Jensen retired as a senior research anthropologist at the Nebraska State Historical Society. He is the editor of Charles Allen's From Fort Laramie to Wounded Knee: In the West That Was and Rolf Johnson's Happy As a Big Sunflower: Adventures in the West, 1876-1880, both available in Bison Books editions.
Book Description
The valuable interviews conducted by Nebraska judge Eli S. Ricker with Indian eyewitnesses to the Wounded Knee massacre, the Little Big Horn battle, the Grattan incident, and other events and personages of the Old West are finally made widely available in this long-awaited volume. In the first decade of the twentieth century, as the Old West became increasingly distant and romanticized in popular consciousness, Eli S. Ricker (1843-1926) began interviewing those who had experienced it firsthand, hoping to write a multi-volume series about its last days. Among the many individuals he interviewed were American Indians, mostly Sioux, who spoke extensively about a range of subjects, some with the help of an interpreter. For years Ricker traveled across the northern Plains, determinedly gathering information on and off reservations, in winter and in summer. Judge Ricker never wrote his book, but his interviews are priceless sources of information about the Old West that offer more balanced perspectives on events than were accepted at the time. Richard E. Jensen brings together all of Ricker's interviews with American Indians, annotating the conversations and offering an extensive introduction that sets forth important information about Ricker, his research, and the editorial methodology guiding the present volume. Richard E. Jensen retired as a senior research anthropologist at the Nebraska State Historical Society. He is the editor of Charles Allen's From Fort Laramie to Wounded Knee: In the West That Was and Rolf Johnson's Happy As a Big Sunflower: Adventures in the West, 1876-1880, both available in Bison Books editions. Also available from the University of Nebraska Press: Voices of the American West, Volume 2: The Settler and Soldier Interviews of Eli S. Ricker, 1903-1919.
Customer Reviews:
First Person Michigan History.......2006-02-20
Many folks do not realize the rich history and important role Michigan played in our country's history. It was being colonized at the same time - and was every bit of a colony - as the original thirteen. Detroit was founded in 1701, just 19 years after Philadelphia, and has thrived (for better or worse) ever since.
What makes this book such a find is that it is soley written in the hand and language of those early settlers, going back to 1665 when the French settlers were spreading God's word to the Indians and continuing through the Indian wars of Pontiac, the Revolutionary War, early settlements in the lower penninsula, the Civil War, through the automobile industry, up into recent times.
The most interesting entries are those written by the simple folk trying to etch out a life in this wilderness, such as the life of a new school teacher in 1866 who writes of having 89 students in her one room schoolhouse, as well as the surveyors who wrote off Michigan as a water logged wasteland. The life of a logger, a first hand description of the sounds of the Civil War, the birth of the GOP in 1854, and into the electric light and telephone age of 1907. This book is a wealth of information, taking the reader back into time, visiting the early folks of our great state.
A must for local history buffs and social historians.
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The People's Voice: An Annotated Bibliography of American Presidential Campaign Newspapers, 1828-1984 (Bibliographies and Indexes in American History)
Manufacturer: Greenwood Press
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Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0313239762 |
Book Description
Since 1828, every four years has seen the re-emergence of newspapers published on behalf of particular presidential candidates and aspirants. Despite the importance and longevity of the medium, however, it has largely been overlooked as an object of serious study. This volume is the only systematic treatment of the subject yet published. It presents both an historical overview and the first compilation of bibliographic data on the publications that comprise this genre. Following an introductory survey of the history of the campaign newspaper and a discussion of significant examples, the bibliography provides listings for newspapers supporting major-party and third-party candidates and other presidential hopefuls.
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Lift Every Voice and Sing: A Pictorial Tribute to the Negro National Anthem
James Weldon Johnson , and
Debbie Egan-chin
Manufacturer: Jump At The Sun
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ASIN: 0786806265 |
Book Description
Primary source documents organized by chapters in Boyer 4/e, with questions for analysis.
Customer Reviews:
A good supplemental reader.......2003-12-09
This book, if used properly, adds much to the breadth and study of American history. This book contains primary documents, including images and pictures, to give the reader a deeper view and a more personal sense of how events in history have shaped this nation and its people.
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People's History of the United States: 1492 to Present (P.S.)
The Twentieth Century: A People's History
The People Speak: American Voices, Some Famous, Some Little Known
A Young People's History of the United States: Columbus to the Spanish-American War
Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong
