“ I was astonished, bewildered. This was America, a country where, whatever its faults, people could speak, write, assemble, demonstrate without fear. It was in the Constitution, the Bill of Rights. We… Howard Zinn
“ But human beings are not machines, and however powerful the pressure to conform, they sometimes are so moved by what they see as injustice that they dare to declare their independence. In that histori… Howard Zinn
“ The courtroom is one instance of the fact that while our society may be liberal and democratic in some large and vague sense, its moving parts, its smaller chambers--its classrooms, its workplaces, it… Howard Zinn
“ The power of a bold idea uttered publicly in defiance of dominant opinion cannot be easily measured. Those special people who speak out in such a way as to shake up not only the self-assurance of thei… Howard Zinn
“ . . the farmer is the manThe Farmer is the manLives on credit till the fallWith the interest rates so highIt's a wonder he don't dieAnd the mortgage man's the one that gets it all.The farmer is the m… Howard Zinn
“ When Chief Black Hawk was defeated and captured in 1832, he made a surrender speech:I fought hard. But your guns were well aimed. The bullets flew like birds in the air, and whizzed by our ears like t… Howard Zinn
“ Civil disobedience, as I put it to the audience, was not the problem, despite the warnings of some that it threatened social stability, that it led to anarchy. The greatest danger, I argued, was civil… Howard Zinn
“ I am convinced that imprisonment is a way of pretending to solve the problem of crime. It does nothing for the victims of crime, but perpetuates the idea of retribution, thus maintaining the endless c… Howard Zinn
“ I see a time when the farmer will not need to live in a cabin on a lonely farm. I see the farmers coming together in groups. I see them with the time to read, and time to visit with their fellows. I s… Howard Zinn
“ A jury is always a more orthodox body than any defendant brought before it; for blacks it is usually a whiter group, for poor people, a more prosperous group...Another lesson about the justice system:… Howard Zinn
“ The human consequences of Reagan's budget cuts went deep. For instance, Social Security disability benefits were terminated for 350,000 people. A war hero of Vietnam, Roy Benavidez, who had been prese… Howard Zinn
“ I was a Shoemaker, & got my living by my Labor. When this Rebellion come on, I saw some of my Neighbors got into Commission, who were no better than myself. I was very ambitious, & did not like to see… Howard Zinn
“ Slavery was immensely profitable to some masters. James Madison told a British visitor shortly after the American Revolution that he could make 257 dollars on every (black slave) in a year, and spend… Howard Zinn
“ There is a power that can be created out of pent-up indignation, courage, and the inspiration of a common cause, and that if enough people put their minds and bodies into that cause, they can win. It… Howard Zinn
“ I had always insisted that a good education was a synthesis of book learning and involvement in social action, that each enriched the other. I wanted my students to know that the accumulation of knowl… Howard Zinn
“ We need to expose the motives of our political leaders, point out their connections to corporate power, show how huge profits are being made out of death and suffering. Howard Zinn
“ We must recognize that we cannot depend on the governments of the world to abolish war because they and the economic interests they represent benefit from war. Howard Zinn
