Written and edited by Howard Zinn and Anthony Arnove

Voices of a People’s History of the United States is a companion piece to Zinn’s best-selling A People's History of the United States: 1492–Present, a narrative of the country's history that was written, according to Zinn, "to awaken a greater consciousness of class conflict, racial injustice, sexual inequality and national arrogance." He uses brief excerpts from a wealth of sources to provide a more accurate and more complete picture of the country’s past. In Voices, Zinn and Arnove let the people speak for themselves at length through articles, letters, speeches, poems, interviews, reports, song lyrics, et al. Beginning with Columbus' "discovery" of America and the Arawak Indians and concluding with reactions to 9/11/01 and the War on Terror, many diverse voices of concerned citizens are on full display. Both books provide an alternative view of U.S. History through the words of those who weren't in the majority or in power, yet were compelled by their convictions to stand up, speak out and suffer the consequences for what they believed was right and just.

Chapter One begins with the diary of Columbus, which has been partially quoted and partially summarized from a transcript that was discovered in 1790. It is contrasted with the writings of Bartolome de Las Casas, who witnessed the crimes committed against the people of Hispaniola and protested against their enslavement and genocide before the Spanish Royal Council.

The book then moves to the colonies. A chapter about slaves includes their petitions to state legislatures requesting their freedom. The plight and anger of indentured servants is illustrated through reports of rioting in Exeter, New Hampshire, against the authorities who attempted to learn who chopped down trees for firewood, and also in Newport, Rhode Island, as 500 seamen revolted against their five-week impressments in the British Navy.

In 1763, the French were defeated in the Seven Years' War and were no longer a threat in North America. The colonial leaders no longer needed British protection, but Britain needed the colonies’ wealth to help pay the debt incurred fighting the war. This struggle led to the Revolutionary War. Boston became a focal point as evidenced by reaction to the Stamp Act, eyewitness testimony about the Boston Massacre and a participant’s recollection of the Boston Tea Party.

During the Civil War, Voices looks at the conflict between rich and poor on both sides, rather than focus on the military struggle, which has been extensively covered elsewhere. Reports show 6,000 New Yorkers assaulting flour merchants, who were accused of hoarding to drive up prices while the south was suffering from bread riots due to the growing costs of the war. Both sides saw draft riots from people who didn't feel it was their fight.

Article Author: El Bicho

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