Howard Zinn, Author, Historian, and Activist, Dies at 87

Howard Zinn, professor, historian, and author of the master work A People’s History of the United States, suffered a fatal heart attack on Wednesday, January 27th 2009. His establishment challenging work inspired generations of activists to question not only the status-quo, but the history of events that shaped it. He will be sorely missed by this blogger.

Zinn began his academic career teaching at Spelman college, a historically black female university, in 1956. There, he served as an adviser the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), a prominent civil rights group. He was eventually dismissed from Spelman, despite his tenured status, for his refusal to adhere to the Spelman tradition of turning out “young ladies” rather than protesting demonstrators. He then began teaching at Boston University in 1964, where he actively protested the Vietnam war at countless rallies and demonstrations. Zinn, a World War II war veteran himself, was sensitive to the reality of war and the ethical dilemmas encountered by soldiers on the ground.

Zinn poignantly argued that “there is no flag large enough to cover the shame of killing innocent people for a purpose which is unattainable.” In the late 1970’s, Zinn realized that the history books he was using to teach his classes lacked critical analyses of U.S. history, and offered limited points of view on the foundation of the country. After failing to find an adequate alternative textbook, he decided to write one. In 1980, he published A People’s History of the United States, which became a canonical book for modern understanding of American history. His book differed in that it offered the perspectives of the workers, slaves, women, Native Americans, and other disenfranchised groups whose stories were often absent from textbooks. His piece became a nationwide sensation, and has attributed greatly not only to our knowledge of the history of the United States, but pedagogical approaches to teaching history in general. The book has been re-imagined in several different formats, including the graphic novel A People’s History of the American Empire, and a history channel special The People Speak, which was reviewed by Globalshift.

Undoubtedly, Howard Zinn was one of the most influential modern historians of the 20th century,  giving voice to history’s voiceless, and putting his own opinions and ethics in action through nonviolent protest and active demonstration against injustice.