Imperialism Archives

The Constitutional Bind: How Americans Came to Idolize a Document That Fails Them

Book — Non-fiction. By Aziz Rana. 2024. 824 pages.
An account of how people in the United States came to revere the Constitution and what this reverence has meant domestically and around the world.

Asian Americans in the People’s History of the United States

Profile. Brief profiles of people and events from Asian American and Pacific Islander people's history.

History Textbooks: “Theirs” and “Ours”: A Rebellion or a War of Independence?

Teaching Activity. By John DeRose. Rethinking Schools. 4 pages.
Analysis of textbook passages from different countries, videos and books are used to explore different perspectives about the same event in history, i.e. "Philippine-American War" vs. "War of Philippine Independence."

A depiction of two panels from The Great Wall of Los Angeles, a mural by Judy Baca. These panels show depictions from the Mexican-American War.

U.S. Mexico War: “We Take Nothing by Conquest, Thank God”

Teaching Activity. Lesson by Bill Bigelow and student reading by Howard Zinn. Rethinking Schools. 21 pages.
Interactive activity introduces students to the history and often untold story of the U.S.-Mexico War. Roles available in Spanish.

Teaching Activity by Bill Bigelow

Americans Who Tell the Truth

Posters. Portraits by Robert Shetterly and biographies of individuals who have taken a stand for justice.

The Export of Colors

Article. By Manlio Argueta. From Cuzcatlán, Donde bate la mar del sur.
An excerpt from a novel of historical fiction about the impact of an export economy on peasants in El Salvador.

Fred Korematsu Speaks Up

Book — Non-fiction. By Laura Atkins and Stan Yogi. Illustrated by Yutaka Houlette. 2017. 112 pages.
Story of Fred Koretmatsu, jailed for resisting incarceration by the U.S. government during WWII. He took his case to the U.S. Supreme Court twice.

Eduardo Relero Apple Store in Madrid | Zinn Education Project

Congo, Coltan, and Cell Phones: A People’s History

Teaching Activity. By Alison Kysia. 28 pages.
In this lesson, students learn about the colonial history of Congo, debate responsibility for crimes against humanity, and investigate the connection, past and present, between the exploitation of natural resources and violence.

Teaching Activity by Alison Kysia

Feb. 4, 1899: War of Philippine Independence

When the United States refused to recognize Philippine independence, Philippine Republic president Emilio Aguinaldo declared war.

Elizabeth "Betsy" Brown Stephens, a Cherokee woman who walked the Trail of Tears.

May 23, 1838: The Trail of Tears Began

The forcible removal of Native American tribes, known as the Trail of Tears, began.

A Queer History of the United States for Young People

Book — Non-fiction. By Michael Bronski, adapted for by Richie Chevat. 2019. 336 pages.
A young adult readers edition of the original text explores the history of LGBTQ+ experiences in the U.S. since 1500.

Bad Mexicans: Race, Empire, and Revolution in the Borderlands

Book — Non-fiction. By Kelly Lytle Hernández. 2022. 384 pages.
Taking readers to the frontlines of the magonista uprising and the counterinsurgency campaign that failed to stop them, Kelly Lytle Hernández puts the magonista revolt at the heart of U.S. history.

Oct. 12, 1925: U.S. Fights Panama Renters’ Strike

Protesting rising rents and unsanitary conditions, tenants in Panama City, Panama were met with swift force and violence by U.S. soldiers, with six killed during the weekend.

May 5, 2010: Red Dress Day Honoring Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women

A national day of awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls and 2SLGBTQI+ people (MMIWG2S).

Nov. 6, 2023: Statue of Liberty Sit-in Demanding Gaza Ceasefire

Hundreds of protesters occupied the base of the Statue of Liberty as part of a sit-in demanding a ceasefire in Gaza.

A People’s History of Muslims in the United States (Article) | Zinn Education Project: Teaching People's History

A People’s History of Muslims in the United States: What Textbooks and the Media Miss

By Alison Kysia

When I teach history related to Islam or Muslims in the United States, I begin by asking students what names they associate with these terms. The list is consistent year after year: Malcolm X, Elijah Muhammad, and Muhammad Ali.

All of these individuals have affected U.S. history in significant ways. If we take a step back and look at the messages these figures communicate about Muslims in U.S. history, we see a story dominated by men and by the Nation of Islam. Although important, focusing solely on these stories leaves us with a skewed view of Muslims in U.S. history. Even these examples are a stretch. Most of my students reference 9/11 as the first time they heard of Muslims.

A Peoples History of the United States Book | Zinn Education Project

A People’s History of the United States: 1492 – Present

Book — Non-fiction. By Howard Zinn. 2005, with a new introduction by Anthony Arnove in 2015. 784 pages.
Howard Zinn's groundbreaking work on U.S. history. This book details lives and facts rarely included in textbooks—an indispensable teacher and student resource.

Discovering Columbus: Re-reading the Past

Teaching Activity. By Bill Bigelow. Rethinking Schools. 6 pages.
How to engage students in a critical analysis of the textbook version of "discovery."

Teaching Activity by Bill Bigelow

Bloods: Black Veterans of the Vietnam War — An Oral History

Book — Non-fiction. By Wallace Terry. 1985. 320 pages.
Oral histories of twenty Black veterans who tell their stories of being in the Vietnam War.

War! What Is It Good For?

Book — Non-fiction. By Kimberley Phillips Boehm. 2014. 360 pages.
Examines how Black people’s participation in the nation’s wars and their protracted struggles for equal citizenship galvanized a vibrant antiwar activism that reshaped their struggles for freedom.