Charles Beard warned us that governments-inc luding the government of the United States-are not neutral, that they represent the dominant economic interests,… — Howard Zinn Copy Share Image
“We see then, in the first years of the Constitution, that some of its provisions—even those paraded most flamboyantly (like the First… — Howard Zinn Copy Share Image
“When economic interest is seen behind the political clauses of the Constitution, then the document becomes not simply the work of wise… — Howard Zinn Copy Share Image
They were not mentioned in the Declaration of Independence, they were absent in the Constitution and they were invisible in the new… — Howard Zinn Copy Share Image
Perhaps the most important thing I learned was about democracy, that democracy is not our government, our constitution, our legal structure. Too… — Howard Zinn Copy Share Image
The courtroom is one instance of the fact that while our society may be liberal and democratic in some large and vague… — Howard Zinn Copy Share Image
“Were the Founding Fathers wise and just men trying to achieve a good balance? In fact, they did not want a balance,… — Howard Zinn Copy Share Image
“A New York banker toasted the Supreme Court in 1895: “I give you, gentlemen, the Supreme Court of the United States—guardian of… — Howard Zinn Copy Share Image
“The Constitution was a compromise between slaveholding interests of the South and moneyed interests of the North. For the purpose of uniting… — Howard Zinn Copy Share Image
“So the real problem, according to Madison, was a majority faction, and here the solution was offered by the Constitution, to have… — Howard Zinn Copy Share Image
The First Amendment and Fourteenth Amendment rights in the United States Constitution were being violated in Albany again and again - freedom… — Howard Zinn Copy Share Image
The Constitution. . . illustrates the complexity of the American system: that it serves the interests of a wealthy elite, but also… — Howard Zinn Copy Share Image
The inferior position of blacks, the exclusion of Indians from the new society, the establishment of supremacy for the rich and powerful… — Howard Zinn Copy Share Image
“The Constitution became even more acceptable to the public at large after the first Congress, responding to criticism, passed a series of… — Howard Zinn Copy Share Image
“During elections for the 1776 convention to frame a constitution for Pennsylvania, a Privates Committee urged voters to oppose “great and overgrown… — Howard Zinn Copy Share Image
“I was astonished, bewildered. This was America, a country where, whatever its faults, people could speak, write, assemble, demonstrate without fear. It… — Howard Zinn Copy Share Image
“Another view of the Constitution was put forward early in the twentieth century by the historian Charles Beard (arousing anger and indignation,… — Howard Zinn Copy Share Image
“During elections for the 1776 convention to frame a constitution for Pennsylvania, a Privates Committee urged voters to oppose “great and overgrown… — Howard Zinn Copy Share Image
“A black man, Benjamin Banneker, who taught himself mathematics and astronomy, predicted accurately a solar eclipse, and was appointed to plan the new city… — Howard Zinn Copy Share
There is no flag large enough to cover the shame of killing innocent people. — Howard Zinn Copy Share
“a good education is a synthesis of book learning and involvement in social action, because each enrich the other. The accumulation of knowledge, while… — Howard Zinn Copy Share
The mountain of history books under which we all stand leans so heavily in the other direction-so tremblingly respectful of states and statesmen and… — Howard Zinn Copy Share
Let's face a historical truth: we have never had a "free market", we have always had government intervention in the economy, and indeed that… — Howard Zinn Copy Share
I can UNDERSTAND pessimism, but I don't BELIEVE in it. It's not simply a matter of faith, but of historical EVIDENCE. Not overwhelming evidence,… — Howard Zinn Copy Share
Protest beyond the law is not a departure from democracy; it is absolutely essential to it. It is a corrective to the sluggishness of… — Howard Zinn Copy Share
Now I have been studying very closely what happens every day in the courts in Boston, Massachusetts. You would be astounded--maybe you wouldn't, maybe… — Howard Zinn Copy Share
They were not mentioned in the Declaration of Independence, they were absent in the Constitution and they were invisible in the new political democracy.… — Howard Zinn Copy Share
“Sexual purity was to be the special virtue of a woman. It was assumed that men, as a matter of biological nature, would sin,… — Howard Zinn Copy Share
“Middle-class Americans might be invited to join a new elite by attacks against the corruption of the established rich. The New Yorker Cadwallader Colden,… — Howard Zinn Copy Share
If those in charge of our society - politicians, corporate executives, and owners of press and television - can dominate our ideas, they will… — Howard Zinn Copy Share
We were not born critical of existing society. There was a moment in our lives (or a month, or a year) when certain facts… — Howard Zinn Copy Share
Behind the deceptive words designed to entice people into supporting violence -- words like democracy, freedom, self-defense, national security -- there is the reality… — Howard Zinn Copy Share
“George Washington had turned down the requests of blacks, seeking freedom, to fight in the Revolutionary army. So when the British military commander in… — Howard Zinn Copy Share
