Seven Events in “A People’s History” That Will Knock You On Your Ass

A People’s History of the United States weaves thousands of threads, uniting hundreds of events, to create a tale of American life that focuses on the oppressed, poor, enslaved and overworked, instead of the common story of presidents, generals and robber barons. Many of these threads have been torn out by generations of grade school history textbooks, and will only be revealed to you once you seek them out yourself. Some form underappreciated turning points, where history could have branched off in many directions and we could have become a drastically freer or more just society. If we remember their lessons, perhaps we still will. Here are seven that stuck with me.

Sources: A People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn; The “S” Word by John Nichols

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5. Philippine-American War, 1898-1902

After conquering the Philippines from Spain, the US refused to grant this nation independence despite an active effort and a provisional republic set  up by resistance fighter Emilio Aguinaldo.  70,000 American troops were sent to break their resistance, and thousands of them died, with the number way higher among Filipinos.  The brutal tactics developed by the Americans here were later imported back to the states to find use by the Pennsylvania State Police, their immediate predecessors the Coal and Iron Police, and forces in other states modeled after them. 

6. Victor Berger and Other Socialists Elected, 1910-1912

Bernie Sanders wasn’t the first Socialist elected to Congress.  Before the Palmer Raids and Red Scare of 1919, Socialists like Berger were elected to the House of Representatives and in hundreds of municipalities across the US (including 73 mayors in 1912).  Socialist Eugene Debs won 6% of the electoral vote for president, even winning a million votes from his prison cell after being convicted for opposing the First World War.    Socialist politicians are neither unheard of nor unpopular in American history. 

7. Sit-Down Strike, Akron, Ohio, 1936.

In the Firestone rubber plant, workers began a strike tactic that was so effective, they had to make it illegal.  Men on strike against low wages that were about to get cut further decided they had enough – but instead of walking out of the factory, they sat down on the job.  Entire factories shut down, thousands of workers participated, and the judges and police arrayed against them were helpless.  The tactic spread through 1937 across the nation.  This tactic not only won victories against corrupt and unfair bosses, but also against corrupt and unfair union leaders who opposed a loss of their control over the process.  The National Labor Relations board was created to defuse this tactic by encouraging unions to talk it out in meeting rooms instead of standing their ground, and the Supreme Court eventually declared sit-down strikes illegal.