by Honi A.

Created on: January 11, 2010

"There is no flag large enough to cover the shame of killing innocent people", this quote sums up Howard Zinn's existence and beliefs. Growing up in Brooklyn, working on a shipyard and later fighting in the World War II, all this stages in his life lead in creating some very strong beliefs that Howard Zinn had no fear expressing after he finally went to college and then university. The power of his thoughts and ideas and their objectivity brought him a lot of  prizes and awards, acknowledging him as one of the best historians and supporters of  the civil rights.

LIFE AND EDUCATION
Born in Brooklyn, in 1922, in a family of immigrant workers he was not given much of a choice but to follow his parents steps. He worked in a shipyard and when he turned 21 he joined the army and fought in the World War II. Three years later, when he was done fighting, Howard finally carried on his studies magna cum laudae. He graduated with a B.A from New York University, he obtained an M.A and a PhD in history from the Columbia University. 

CAREER
His main preoccupation was teaching: he was a professor of History at Spelman College, in Atlanta; then he taught Political Science at the Boston University and finally he was a Visiting Professor at two famous institutions: University of Paris and University of Bologna.
As a writer, his other preoccupation, he accomplished a lot: he shared with the whole world his political views and his sincere opinions over  some of the hottest topics of the moment like the wars in Vietnam and Iraq.

BOOKS AND AWARDS
He wrote over 20 books, including "A People's History of the United States", his most famous work, covering every stage in his country's evolution, starting with the arrival of Columbus and ending with the years 2000 and the War of Terrorism. He also wrote three theatrical works: "Emma", based on the life of Emma Goldman, a well known supporter of the anarchism, "Daughter of Venus", focused on the campaign of nuclear disarmament and "Marx in Soho", a one-man play about Karl Marx's life.     
Even though his books received a lot of criticism, and some were considered to be too forward, Howard Zinn received a lot of awards, being recognized as one of the best American historians of all times. From the awards he received, should be mentioned: the National Book Award for "A People's History of United States" and the Upton Sinclair Award for his social activism.

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