Howard Zinn was perhaps this country's premier radical historian. He was an active figure in the civil rights movement and a principled opponent of imperialism and militarism. He was an advocate of non-violent civil disobedience. He spoke and marched against the U.S. wars on Afghanistan and Iraq. His masterwork, A People's History of the United States, continues to sell in huge numbers.
“Congress shall make no law…abridging freedom of speech.” There it is, plain and simple: The First Amendment to the Constitution. But since 9/11 that amendment has been under sustained attack. Whistleblowers John Kiriakou, Julian Assange, Chelsea Manning, Edward Snowden, and others are hounded, threatened and imprisoned by the U.S. government. This classic Zinn program from our archives offers a fascinating and compelling account of past and present efforts to secure and expand political and social rights for workers, women and African-Americans.