Howard Zinn Biography
Historian, Political Theorist, Educator, 1922 - 2010
“The rule of law does not do away with the unequal distribution of wealth and power, but reinforces that inequality with the authority of law. It allocates wealth and poverty in such calculated and indirect ways as to leave the victim bewildered.”
Howard Zinn was born in Brooklyn, New York, into a working-class family and, though he had few formal educational opportunities, he developed a strong social consciousness while working as a shipfitter and avidly reading the novels of Charles Dickens. Flying bombing missions in World War II shaped his opposition to war. After military service he earned a doctorate in history at Columbia University and taught at Spelman College in Georgia where he was active in the Civil Rights movement. In 1963 he moved to Boston University and became a prominent, outspoken critic of the Vietnam War.
Best known for his A People’s History of the United States: 1492-Present (1980, revised 1995), a history of America through the perspective of “those outside of the political and economic establishment,” Zinn remains an active advocate for the underclass, a proponent of world peace and an articulate critic of corporate power and greed supported by governmental collusion.
“We need new ways of thinking,” says Zinn. “We need to rethink our position in the world. We need to stop sending weapons to countries that oppress other people. We need to decide that we will not go to war, whatever reason is conjured up by the politicians or the media, because war in our time is always indiscriminate, a war against innocents, a war against children. War is terrorism, magnified a hundred times.”
“We can not be secure by limiting our liberties, as some of our political leaders are demanding, but only by expanding them…We should take our example not from the military and political leaders shouting ‘retaliate’ and ‘war’ but from the doctors and nurses and … firemen and policemen who have been saving lives in the midst of mayhem, whose first thoughts are not violence, but healing, and not vengeance, but compassion.”
Suggested educational experiences for work related to Howard Zinn’s life and portrait: Americans Who Tell the Truth
- Grades Four-Eight Citizenship Interview Project
- Grades Nine- University Citizenship Forum and Social Action Project
- General suggestions:
- Writing/Discussion Prompts
- Moment of Truth
- Dramatization
- Music
- Suggestions for ELL students and differentiation needs
Howard Zinn:
The teacher whom we miss and honor, as all teachers are best appreciated, by taking what we learn and making it our own.
As we reflect on the many gifts he left us as educators, Americans Who Tell the Truth is proud to know that, in his lifetime, Howard Zinn saw the portraits in the series and hoped that more children would know these individuals. And what better way than through their portraits and stories?
Howard Zinn, by virtue of what he DID all his career in education, taught us the imperative nature of the study of the STORIES of our people in order to best know the HISTORY of our nation.
Thus, for students in Grades Four through Eight, Americans Who Tell the Truth recommends that teachers in that age group make use of our “Interview on Citizenship and Forum” project as a way for students to understand what Howard Zinn did and why. Through their own interview process and documentation of the story of each citizen with whom they speak, they, in essence, create their own record of a part of history, too.
They can begin to consider that it is in these “truths” from those with whom they speak, they know the nature of being a citizen, as did all those whose lives Howard Zinn shared in his “People’s History…”
Interviews and citizenship:
Each student is asked to choose one to five individuals (depending on your time frame) to interview with questions regarding the responsibilities and privileges of citizenship. Questions are open ended rather than “true/false, multiple choice, and yes/no” inquiries.
Teachers should approve individuals to be interviewed and questions first. (If necessary, I had a letter of permission prepared including my phone number for each student to take with them to the interview should the individual require it.) Students chose many types of people in the community, both local politicians, activists and also, family members and friends. Sample form letters are available from AWTTT upon request.
They asked questions that resulted in lengthy and thoughtful answers.
They were also asked to “portray” their subject in some way. A sketch, photo, sculpture, painting all were acceptable ways of creating a portrait of their citizens of choice.
Students had one month (for five interviews) to prepare this assignment. They were asked to collect all their interviews, report on them in essay form, include their portraits and present this in a binder or portfolio. Two students chose to videotape their interviews and this was quite successful. I encouraged them to find as many ways as possible to represent their interviews. These can be further shared with the wider school or local community at a public library or other venue. The question of what engaged citizenship is in our country is one worth asking and sharing responses!
For older students, high school community college and university level:
Forum on citizenship:
Howard Zinn was a university professor who aligned himself throughout his life’s work with social justice. He facilitated and supported, even to the point of his own loss of employment, the rights and engaged citizenship of his students. As a faculty advisor he sponsored a Social Action project wherein an identified social injustice was identified and a plan to remedy the problem was implemented. This serves as a model for teachers today and there are certainly numerous examples of teachers following in those footsteps nearly 41 years later.
Americans Who Tell the Truth encourages teachers to help students understand what Mr. Zinn’s social action plan process can mean by hosting a forum that first identifies a school or community concern and can result in a Social Action project if desired.
Holding a forum on this aspect of citizenship in your school or classroom community can be one of the most rewarding experiences of a teaching career. Students must spend some time in research in the community, either on campus or local, researching and agreeing on a specific forum topic. Schools have often chosen recent incidents that have been controversial and invited police department or other related groups to the forum.
Students should be asked to choose questions to ask the audience during the forum. They must collaborate on what the essence of the concern is and get at its “truths.” Once presented in class, the interview questions should be examined carefully in preparation for the event. Questions should be open ended and require more than simple “yes/no” responses.
If time permits, each student should be encouraged to make a brief statement before they begin discussion of their questions with the group.
Preparing for the forum in class does not need to be limited to the formation and evaluation of questions and statements. Work can be done with students on the valuable experience of public speaking and the role of one’s “voice” in social change. Certainly, Howard Zinn gave a voice to many who would have otherwise gone unheard. Once the forum is held, students can identify action steps and a social action project can emerge.
Not every teacher in every school will have the luxury of time for such an event as this. However, even a small classroom forum can be of value, if only for one class period. We all do what we can within the structure of our school’s expectations. It is also important to remember that skills of great importance are used in the process: public speaking, writing and forming research ideas and questions, working responsibly in a group and most important, learning the lessons of basic civics and what it means to be actively engaged as a citizen.
Quotes for dramatizations/writing/discussion prompts:
“The rule of law does not do away with the unequal distribution of wealth and power, but reinforces that inequality with the authority of law. It allocates wealth and poverty in such calculated and indirect ways as to leave the victim bewildered.”
What does Mr. Zinn mean when he talks about people being unequal?
What do you believe Mr. Zinn means when he says that the system reinforces inequality? In what ways and why is this so?
What does it mean to be a victim bewildered by the system of unequal wealth and power? Who are the victims of this system? Who are these people in your community? What are some examples of their ‘bewilderment’ in your own community?
Are YOU someone who feels bewildered/confused by these systems? Do you sometimes wonder why some people have so much and others so little?
If so, please share your story.
Find and share examples in today’s art, music, books, poems and dramatic areas that you believe represent the “bewilderment of the victims of inequity.” What musicians, artists, writers do you know of that express their confusion and frustration with the fact that people do not have their needs met or their lives fulfilled equally?
“We can not be secure by limiting our liberties, as some of our political leaders are demanding, but only by expanding them…We should take our example not from the military and political leaders shouting ‘retaliate’ and ‘war’ but from the doctors and nurses and … firemen and policemen who have been saving lives in the midst of mayhem, whose first thoughts are not violence, but healing, and not vengeance, but compassion.”
Consider and share examples from your own life experience of people you know responding with the violence and the compassion that Mr. Zinn speaks of here. From where do you find yourself most often reacting to life events: healing or vengeance? And from there, where do you see your community at school in this way?
“I can UNDERSTAND pessimism, but I don’t BELIEVE in it. It’s not simply a matter of faith, but of historical EVIDENCE. Not overwhelming evidence, just enough to give HOPE, because for hope we don’t need certainty, only POSSIBILITY.”
Have students discuss their own pessimism and optimism about the future.
Ask students to share what they are anxious about, what gives them hope.
Ask them to look throughout our history for examples of our citizens overcoming difficulty and effecting social change. If you can, provide them with images that suggest these struggles and victories. Th e Zinn Education Project website: http://zinneducationproject.com/ has a fabulous inclusive collection of photographs for many areas that Howard Zinn highlights in his work. Letting students “see” these changes unfold in those images and talking about them can be a powerful way to examine this quote.
Moment of Truth:
Howard Zinn was asked by Americans Who Tell the Truth to write about a turning point in his life that represented a ‘moment of truth,” a point where he knew that he would always work toward social justice and that the work would be a shared task that meant benefit for all. Students can read this and respond in writing or discussion or any other art form. There are numerous areas for discussion. In particular, underlined portions could be used for classroom writing, conversation, and artwork.
“I grew up in a family of working-class immigrants, living in tenements in Brooklyn. Our living quarters were rather miserable and we kids spent most of our time out in the streets. It seemed natural that I should develop a certain class consciousness, an understanding that we lived in a society of rich and poor, and whether you were rich or poor had nothing to do with how hard you worked.
There were young radicals in my neighborhood, a few years older than me, and I was impressed with how much they knew about what was going on in the world. I was beginning to read books about Fascism and socialism. One day, my friends asked if I would join them in going to a demonstration in Times Square. I had never been to a demonstration, and it seemed like an exciting thing to do. When we got to Times Square, there was no sign of a demonstration, but when the big clock on the Times Building struck ten, banners unfurled in the crowd, and people began marching and chanting. I wasn't sure what they were concerned with but it seemed they were opposed to war, and that appealed to me. One of my friends took one end of a banner and I the other. I heard sirens and shouts and I wondered what was happening. Then I saw policemen on horses charging into the crowd, beating people with clubs. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Here were people peacefully demonstrating, and they were attacked by the police. Before I knew it, I was spun around and hit on the side of the head, with what I didn't know. I was knocked unconscious, and when I woke up in a doorway, it was an eerie scene, everything quiet as if nothing had happened. But something had happened to me. I was stripped of my illusion that we lived in a democracy where people could protest peacefully. At that moment I moved from being a liberal to being a radical, understanding that there was something fundamentally wrong with the system that I had always thought cherished freedom and democracy.”
Dramatization: The People Speak:
Americans Who Tell the Truth encourages students and teachers to view the DVD performance “ The People Speak” featuring many well known actors reading from the words of individuals from Howard Zinn’s work. Many of the individuals represented are also found in the Americans Who Tell the Truth portrait series.
Student can research the individuals from the DVD on the AWTTT website and perhaps even create their own presentation of these individuals using the quotes from the portraits. Teachers in many settings have done this with students of all ages.
To learn more about this powerful performance: http://www.howardzinn.org/default/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=103&Itemid=55
When you dramatize, if you cannot bring the AWTTT portraits as a backdrop for your performance, contact us about how to create posters for your use:
michyh@bellsouth.net or at the site: http://www.americanswhotellthetruth.org/pgs/contact.php
Music: The People Speak:
Composer Harry Pickens has written a choral piece that puts the words of truth teller Terry Tempest Williams to song.
Harry can be contacted at http://harrypickens.com/contact.asp
if you are interested in obtaining music in order to perform the piece with students.
Suggestions for ELL students and differentiation needs:
Lesson plans and classroom ideas posted by Americans Who Tell the Truth are, by design, intended to allow teachers to modify the plans easily for their own use. By incorporating the arts and varied modes of sharing information, it is hoped that each student will participate at his/her own level and that teachers will find it simple to change any aspect of the lesson for students requiring it. Because of the inclusive nature of the portrait series, the curriculum accompanying any portrait must also allow for full participation by everyone. Clearly, students who are ELL or have learning disabilities might need the questions and/or assignments listed here paraphrased. We are hopeful that this will be possible. Please share how you have done this in your own classroom with Americans Who Tell the Truth.
michyh@bellsouth.net or at the site: http://www.americanswhotellthetruth.org/pgs/contact.php
Because Howard Zinn’s moment of truth and his own story is so poignant with regard to immigrants and our country, this particular biography lends itself easily to a good interchange about his family’s experience, as well as the stories of those he writes about in “A People’s History.”
If time allows, have students (of any age) research what it takes to become a citizen of our country and attempt the citizenship test. Have them interview and discuss the process and living life in our country as an immigrant or refugee with those in the class, if you have ELL students. This is an excellent opportunity that should not be missed! Perhaps this can even become the interview assignment or forum topic. Given the controversy currently surrounding immigration, this could be a very timely and important conversation at the local level or even in one’s own school community.