Howard Zinn’s life was full of important events and experiences which shaped his political and social views. Being a devoted historian, he was aware of the many influences that affected his opinion on politics, government, and various social debates. In his book “You Can’t Be Neutral on a Moving Train,” Zinn describes some of his experiences, telling modern American history from a very personal perspective. In this essay, I will argue that Zinn’s participation in the Civil Rights Movement, World War II, and the anti-war campaign was among the most substantial factors affecting his beliefs.
Civil Rights Movement
Zinn’s first encounter with the Civil Rights Movement occurred when he was hired as the Head of History and Social Sciences department at Spelman College (Zinn 16). Zinn’s students were black females, for whom college education was “a matter of life and death” (18). His work in the college built on his previous experiences: Zinn admits that his teenage reading of Sinclair, Steinbeck, and Wright left him to see race and class oppression as linked, whereas his work in the Navy Yard and the Air Force showed him more of the segregation and oppression of black soldiers (17). In the chapter on his work at Spelman, he describes the rigid segregation in Atlanta of the time: “If black people were downtown it was because they were working for whites, or shopping at Rich’s Department Store, where both races could come to buy but the cafeteria was for whites only” (Zinn 18). The hostility of the anti-movement community extended beyond black people to those that supported their rights and viewed them as equals (Zinn 18). Therefore, working at Spelman College caused discrimination against Zinn and his wife: “When I told them I was teaching at Spelman, the atmosphere changed; apartments were no longer available” (17). He learned the students’ stories of racial intolerance.
He started to support them in their fight against oppression, which helped decrease racial segregation in public libraries and empowered young women to stand for their rights. Later, Zinn moved to work as an SNCC adviser in Albany, Georgia. It was also a significant experience for the historian: “My experience in Albany had made me especially conscious of the federal role in keeping the institutions of racism going” (57). For his later life, Zinn remained an active supporter of the fight against racism; he participated in marches and rallies during the Civil Rights Movement and wrote extensively about racial oppression. Overall, Zinn’s participation in the Civil Rights Movement shaped his views on democracy and how it is achieved: he was ascertained that, even if people lack the money, political authority, and physical force, they can still win by a power of pent-up indignation, courage, and the inspiration of a common cause (83).
World War II
During the Second World War, Zinn worked in the U.S. Air Force. He admits that he was as excited to help in the war against fascism as any other American young man. Zinn argues that the excitement for war is taught to Americans from their early years: “As a schoolboy, I had been taught to be proud of our nation’s march across the continent […] We had expanded by using deception and force, by military forays into Florida […] by invading Mexico and taking almost half its land” (104). However, as the events of World War II took place, he became more and more skeptical. One experience that had struck Zinn, in particular, was the bombing of Hiroshima: “The most powerful reason given for the bombings of Hiroshima was that they saved the lives of those who would have died in an invasion of Japan” (96). The skepticism he acquired through the study of history and the horrors that were part of World War II, made him oppose the entire idea of war, regardless of its causes. Zinn writes that, whereas, after the First World War, people were scared to think of the war in general, World War II celebrated violence and made it acceptable (102).
Anti-War Movement
Building on his previous experiences, Zinn became an active opposer of the U.S. military campaigns in Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan. He participated in various rallies, participated in public gatherings, wrote books, and made speeches in opposition to the war. His study of war and the anti-war efforts allowed him to travel all over the world to hear people’s stories of the war that were not part of the American news. This made him more critical of the U.S. government in the later years of his life: “behind the deceptive words designed to entice people into supporting violence – words like democracy, freedom, self-defense, national security – there is the reality of enormous wealth in the hands of a few, while billions of people in the world are hungry, sick, homeless” (Zinn ix).
Overall, I believe that Howard Zinn’s experiences with racial oppression and war campaigns have largely shaped his views as a liberal and a firm opposer of the “just wars.” His work in the army, as well as teaching at Spelman College and the involvement with the Civil Rights Movement, enlightened him on the struggles faced by the people of color and made him aware of the effect that a mass of underpowered people can have on the entire country, whereas participating in World War II. The anti-war movement made him more critical of the U.S. government and inspired him to share his view of history and the fact that it should be told from people’s perspective and not their governments.
Work Cited
Zinn, Howard. You Can’t Be Neutral on a Moving Train: A Personal History of Our Times. Beacon Press, 2002.