A People's History of the United States: 1492 to Present

Since its original landmark publication in 1980, A People's History of the United States has been chronicling American history from the bottom up, throwing out the official version of history taught in schools -- with its emphasis on great men in high places -- to focus on the street, the home, and the, workplace.

Known for its lively, clear prose as well as its scholarly research, A People's History is the only volume to tell America's story from the point of view of -- and in the words of -- America's women, factory workers, African-Americans, Native Americans, the working poor, and immigrant laborers.As historian Howard Zinn shows, many of our country's greatest battles -- the fights for a fair wage, an eight-hour workday, child-labor laws, health and safety standards, universal suffrage, women's rights, racial equality -- were carried out at the grassroots level, against bloody resistance.Covering Christopher Columbus's arrival through President Clinton's first term, A People's History of the United States, which was nominated for the American Book Award in 1981, features insightful analysis of the most important events in our history.

Revised, updated, and featuring a new after, word by the author, this special twentieth anniversary edition continues Zinn's important contribution to a complete and balanced understanding of American history.

General

Details

	Description Publisher's Notes Since its original landmark publication in 1980, A People's History of the United States has been chronicling American history from the bottom up, throwing out the official version of history taught in schools -- with its emphasis on great men in high places -- to focus on the street, the home, and the, workplace. Known for its lively, clear prose as well as its scholarly research, A People's History is the only volume to tell America's story from the point of view of -- and in the words of -- America's women, factory workers, African-Americans, Native Americans, the working poor, and immigrant laborers.As historian Howard Zinn shows, many of our country's greatest battles -- the fights for a fair wage, an eight-hour workday, child-labor laws, health and safety standards, universal suffrage, women's rights, racial equality -- were carried out at the grassroots level, against bloody resistance.Covering Christopher Columbus's arrival through President Clinton's first term, A People's History of the United States, which was nominated for the American Book Award in 1981, features insightful analysis of the most important events in our history. Revised, updated, and featuring a new after, word by the author, this special twentieth anniversary edition continues Zinn's important contribution to a complete and balanced understanding of American history. Commentary THE PEOPLE'S HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES presents what has come to be called "history from the bottom up," as it tells America's national narrative in a way that is inclusive of those previously left out of, or marginalized by, standard histories. The book reveals that it was the Arawak Indians who were present at the first contact with Columbus. Zinn's chapter on the Mayflower reveals that its passengers included several slaves, and explains how the need for labor in Virginia dovetailed with the already established slave trade. The chapters on westward expansion tell of the "Indian removal" as well as the role of immigrant labor in building the transcontinental railroad. Zinn also includes a greater than before focus on the role of women in American history: "It is possible, reading standard histories, to forget half the population of the country," he claims. Through it all, Zinn highlights the lives of settlers, slaves, women, unionists, soldiers, and activists, portraying them not as categories or representatives of a group but as flesh-and-blood people whose interests and motives helped shape America. In doing so, Zinn makes history more interesting, provides a deeper understanding, and brings a greater truth to the story. First published in 1980, THE PEOPLE'S HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES served as a model for the writing of histories to follow, both scholarly and popular.