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A Peoples History of the United States Book | Zinn Education Project

A People’s History of the United States: 1492 – Present

Book — Non-fiction. By Howard Zinn. 2005, with a new introduction by Anthony Arnove in 2015. 784 pages.
Howard Zinn's groundbreaking work on U.S. history. This book details lives and facts rarely included in textbooks—an indispensable teacher and student resource.

Behind the Mountains

Book — Fiction. By Edwidge Danticat. 2004. 192 pages.
A riveting novel detailing the struggles of a young Haitian girl as she adjusts to life in New York.

Bread and Roses

Film. By Ken Loach. 2001. 106 minutes.
A compelling, fictionalized account of an actual labor campaign in Los Angeles.

Journey of Dreams

Book — Fiction. By Marge Pellegrino. 2009. 250 pages.
Historical fiction for young adult readers about the experience of Central American refugees and the long journey north.

Echando Raices/Taking Root

Film. By Rachael Kamel/JT Takagi. 2002. 60 minutes.
The struggles of immigrants through the personal stories of families in communities in California, Texas, and Iowa.

Americans Who Tell the Truth

Website. Portraits by Robert Shetterly and biographies of individuals who have taken a stand for justice.

Alligator Bayou

Book — Historical fiction. By Donna Jo Napoli. 2010. 288 pages.
Historical fiction for young adults based on the true story of the lynching of Italian Americans in late 19th century Louisiana.

Made in L.A.

Film. By Almudena Carracedo and Robert Bahar. 2007. 70 minutes.
Emmy award-winning feature documentary follows the story of three Latina immigrants working in Los Angeles sweatshops on an odyssey to win basic labor protections from a clothing retailer.

BRIDGE: Popular Education Resources for Immigrant and Refugee Community Organizers

Teaching Guide. By The National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights. 2004. 320 pages.
Lessons on immigration, labor, and organizing for high school and adult education.

A People’s History of the United States: Highlights from the Twentieth Century (Audio)

Audio. By Howard Zinn. Read by Matt Damon. 2003. 8 hours, 44 minutes.
Audio book version of excerpted highlights from A People's History of the United States.

A Power Governments Cannot Suppress

Book — Non-fiction. By Howard Zinn. 2006. 293 pages.
A collection of essays on American history, class, immigration, justice, and ordinary citizens who have made a difference.

The Butterfly’s Way: Voices from the Haitian Dyaspora in the United States

Book — Non-fiction. Edited by Edwidge Danticat. 2001. 280 pages.
Thirty-three essays and poems describing the Haitian Émigré experience.

Brother, I’m Dying

Book — Non-fiction. By Edwidge Danticat. 2008. 288 pages.
A gripping autobiographical book, about one Haitian woman's experience as a young immigrant and her family's struggle to survive in the United States while fearing for those they left behind.

Lewis Hine’s Photographs

Teaching Activity. By Bill Bigelow and Bob Peterson. Rethinking Schools. 4 pages.
Using photographs to spark creative writing and critical thinking about child labor issues and social justice.

Teaching Activity by Bill Bigelow

Bread & Roses: Mills, Migrants, and the Struggle for the American Dream

Book — Non-fiction. By Bruce Watson. 2006. 352 pages.
The riveting story of one of the most remarkable strikes in U.S. history.

Harvest of Empire: A History of Latinos in America (Book)

Book — Non-fiction. By Juan Gonzalez. 2022. 560 pages.
An updated and thorough account of the role the United States in the mass migration of Latinos to the U.S.

Aug. 9, 1970: The Mangrove Nine Arrested in London

Nine Black activists were arrested in London, England and charged with inciting a riot when they led over 150 protestors in a march against police harassment.

Revolutionary Women of Texas and Mexico, illustrated book cover

Revolutionary Women of Texas and Mexico: Portraits of Soldaderas, Saints, and Subversives

Book — Non-fiction. Edited by Sosa, Clark, and Speed. 2020. 352 pages.
This anthology examines female role models and subversives who stood up for their visions and ideals in Mexico and Texas.

Teaching Activity by Edited by Kathy Sosa, Ellen Riojas Clark, and Jennifer Speed

Columbus resources | Zinn Education Project

It’s Columbus Day . . . Time to Break the Silence

By Bill Bigelow

This past January, almost exactly 20 years after its publication, Tucson schools banned the book I co-edited with Bob Peterson, Rethinking Columbus. It was one of a number of books adopted by Tucson’s celebrated Mexican American Studies program — a program long targeted by conservative Arizona politicians.

The school district sought to crush the Mexican American Studies program; our book itself was not the target, it just got caught in the crushing. Nonetheless, Tucson’s — and Arizona’s — attack on Mexican American Studies and Rethinking Columbus shares a common root: the attempt to silence stories that unsettle today’s unequal power arrangements.

Sugar

Book — Fiction. By Jewell Parker Rhodes. 2013. 288 pages.
Historical fiction about Reconstruction-era Louisiana through the eyes of a young girl who bridges the divide between the long-time plantation workers and the Chinese indentured servants.

Lattimer Massacre | Zinn Education Project

Sept. 10, 1897: Lattimer Massacre

Nineteen mineworkers were killed and dozens were wounded in the Lattimer Massacre.

Asian Americans in the People’s History of the United States

Profile. Brief profiles of people and events from Asian American and Pacific Islander people's history.

July 12, 1917: The Bisbee Deportation

The Bisbee Deportation was the illegal deportation of more than 1,000 striking mine workers (IWW-led strike), their supporters, and citizen bystanders by 2,000 vigilantes.

Aug. 15 and 17, 1973: Two Striking United Farm Workers Killed

Two striking United Farm Workers (UFW) were killed on Aug. 15 and 17, 1973, while picketing.

‘Repeat After Me: The United States Is Not an Imperialist Country — Oh, and Don’t Get Emotional About War’

By Bill Bigelow

You may have seen that an administrative law judge in Arizona, Lewis Kowal, just upheld the decree by the State Superintendent of Public Instruction that Tucson’s Mexican American Studies program violates state law. Judge Kowal found that the Tucson program was teaching Latino history and culture “in a biased, political, and emotionally charged manner.” According to CNN, one lesson that the judge objected to taught that the historic treatment of Mexican Americans was “marked by the use of force, fraud and exploitation.”

Try this “history detective” experiment. Ask the next person you encounter to tell you what they know about the U.S. war with Mexico. More than likely, this will be a short conversation, because that war (1846-48) merits barely a footnote in U.S. history textbooks.