A Young People's History of the United States, Volume 1: Columbus to the Spanish-American War

by Howard Zinn (Author)

A Young People's History of the United States, Volume 1: Columbus to the Spanish-American War
Reading Level: 6th − 7th Grade
In this new series, American history is told from the viewpoints of slaves, workers, immigrants, women, and Native Americans with color images, a glossary, and primary sources. This first volume begins with the arrival of Christopher Columbus through the strikes and rebellions of the industrial age.
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School Library Journal

Gr 610This adaptation of Zinn's successful "A People's History of the United States" (New Pr., 2003) reflects the adult title's perspective, which is highly critical of "traditional" American history and the powerful "elites," viewed by Zinn as manipulators who grant ordinary Americans just enough rights and material success to avoid real revolution that would threaten their power and wealth. Thus, readers learn that the American Revolution was fought so that the top tier of colonists could seize the British power and wealth, that the Constitution "served the interests of a wealthy elite," and that the Civil War was not a struggle to end slavery but rather a way for the United States government "to keep control of the enormous territory, resources, and market of the South." These books suffer from two major flaws. First, the coverage is very broad, but Zinn's massive text has been greatly abridged, resulting in a shortage of background information to help students understand how specific events relate to the larger picture. Second, it abandons objectivity by scrutinizing America's injustices without giving credit to its many successes. Joy Hakim's "Freedom: A History of US" (Oxford Univ., 2002) covers many of the same oppressed groups and populist themes, but is more successful in giving young people both the necessary background and a more balanced presentation of how competing interests influenced our nation's development."Mary Mueller, Rolla Junior High School, MO" Copyright 2007 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
Howard Zinn
The visionary historical work of professor and activist HOWARD ZINN (1922-2010) is widely considered one of the most important and influential of our era. After his experience as a bombardier in World War II, Zinn became convinced that there could no longer be such a thing as a "just war," because the vast majority of victims in modern warfare are, increasingly, innocent civilians. In his books, including A People's History of the United States, its companion volume Voices of a People's History of the United States, and countless other titles, Zinn affirms the power of the people to influence the course of events.

REBECCA STEFOFF is the author of more than 100 nonfiction books for children and young adults, and she has adapted several best-selling history books for younger readers.
Classification
Non-fiction
ISBN-13
9781583227596
Lexile Measure
1020
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Triangle Square
Publication date
May 01, 2007
Series
For Young People
BISAC categories
JNF025170 - Juvenile Nonfiction | History | United States/General
Library of Congress categories
History
United States

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