When Howard Zinn began teaching he realized that many things were missing in American history books, so he set out to fix the discrepancy. This chronicle documents the life of the historian activist and author of the best selling classic "A People's History of the United States," an eye-opening history from the perspective of the disenfranchised, which has become a primer for the study of American history. Featuring rare archival materials, interviews with Howard Zinn as well as colleagues and friends including Noam Chomsky, Marian Wright Edelman, Daniel Ellsberg, Tom Hayden and Alice Walker, the film captures the essence of this activist and thinker who has been a catalyst for progressive change for more than sixty years. Archival materials follow the trajectory of Zinn's life, from his early childhood in the slums of New York, through his time as a labor organizer in shipyards in the 1930s, as well as serving in the Air Force as a bomber during World War I--an experience that was to inform and shape his anti-war outlook thereafter. Zinn took a leading role in the early Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s as a teacher at the southern black college, Spelman College, where he served as an adviser for the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee. His house served as a gathering place for the students who organized the protests in Atlanta. Such activity not only got him noticed by the school administrators but also by the FBI. While teaching at Boston University in the 1960s, Zinn served as a moral backbone of the peace movement. His book, "Vietnam: The Logic of Withdrawal" was one of the first anti-Vietnam books that articulated a strong argument for disengagement. Now in his eighties, Zinn has re-emerged as elder statesmen to a new generation of activists, once again providing the intellectual and moral foundation to the argument for peace.

Director:
Deb Ellis	Director
Denis Mueller	Director
Cast:
Matt Damon	as Narrator
Howard Zinn	as Himself
Noam Chomsky	as Himself
Marian Wright Edelman	as Herself
Daniel Ellsberg	as Himself
Tom Hayden	as Himself
Alice Walker	as Herself
Cinematography:
Deb Ellis	Cinematographer
Denis Mueller	Cinematographer
Producer:
Deb Ellis	Producer
Denis Mueller	Producer
Editing:
Cindi Moran	On-Line Editor
Music:
Billy Bragg	Music
Woody Guthrie	Music
Eddie Vedder	Music
Richard Martinez	Composer
Sound:
Deb Ellis	Sound
Denis Mueller	Sound
Production Companies:
Moving Train Productions	Production Company
First Run Features	Domestic Theatrical Distributor
First Run Features Home Video	Domestic Video Distributor
Misc. Crew:
Cindi Moran	Advisor
Deb Ellis	Sound

Released in United States July 23, 2004

Released in United States May 24, 2005

Released in United States October 15, 2004

Released in United States on Video/DVD May 24, 2005

Released in United States Summer July 23, 2004

16mm

color

Released in United States May 24, 2005

Released in United States on Video/DVD May 24, 2005

Released in United States July 23, 2004 (New York City)

Released in United States Summer July 23, 2004

Released in United States October 15, 2004 (Los Angeles)