HowardZinn.org-
HOWARD ZINN 1922–2010
Howard Zinn (August 24, 1922-January 27, 2010) was a historian, author, professor, playwright, and activist.
Biography
Zinn was a historian, playwright, and activist. His life’s work focused on a wide range of issues including race, class, war, and history, and touched the lives of many people.
Articles & Interviews
In addition to writing books, Zinn wrote articles and participated in numerous interviews. Many of these are available here in print and video.
Bibliography
Zinn was the author of many books, including A People’s History of the United States, SNCC: The New Abolitionists, and the play Marx in Soho.
News
New Book Featuring Howard Zinn: Truth Has a Power of Its Own
Howard Zinn in conversation with Ray Saurez • Available September 2019
“In the nearly forty years since the first edition of A People’s History appeared, Zinn’s critics have tried to sandbag him. Some complain that his iconoclasm, his tearing down of long-revered heroes, and his corrections to the record leave only a dreary slog through centuries of oppression, struggle, and suffering. Well, a historian’s job is to find out what actually happened. The horrors are there all right, and Zinn is clear-eyed and persistent in forcing us to look at them.” Learn more.
Emma Goldman, 1901 mugshot
150th Birthday: Commemorating Emma Goldman: ‘Living My Life’
This year marks the 150th birthday of Emma Goldman. As a historian with a PhD, Howard Zinn was astonished he had never learned about Goldman in his studies. “Here was this magnificent woman, this anarchist, this feminist, fierce, life-loving person.” Zinn began assigning Living My Life to his students who “loved it.” Zinn wrote a play about her titled Emma. Learn more.
From the Archives
This collection features items from the Howard Zinn Papers at the Tamiment Library, the Summer Freedom Digital Collection at the Wisconsin Historical Society, and other historical repositories.
Related Projects
Learn more about the performance, film, and education projects Howard Zinn played a role in.
Howard Zinn, Our Favorite Teacher Series
Howard Zinn taught at Spelman College and Boston University where he had an extraordinary influence on his students’ understanding of history and their role in the world. Howard Zinn, Our Favorite Teacher highlights Zinn’s lasting impact as a professor.
