The Other Civil War: Slavery and Struggle in Civil War America

Drawn from his New York Times bestseller A People's History of the United States, Howard Zinn's The Other Civil War offers the historian and activist's view of the social and civil background of the American Civil War—a view that is rarely provided in standard historical texts.

This set of essays recounts the history of American labor, free and not free, in the years leading up to and during the Civil War. Zinn offers an alternative yet necessary account of the terrible nation-defining epoch.

The Other Civil War offers historian and activist Howard Zinn's view of the social and civil background of the American Civil War—a view that is rarely provided in standard historical texts. Drawn from his New York Times bestseller A People's History of the United States, this set of essays recounts the history of American labor, free and not free, in the years leading up to and during the Civil War. He offers an alternative yet necessary account of that terrible nation-defining epoch.

“[A People’s History of the United States is] one of the most important books I have ever read in a long life of reading...It’s a wonderful, splendid book--a book that should be read by every American, student or otherwise, who wants to understand his country, its true history, and its hope for the future.” - Howard Fast

“Zinn has written a brilliant and moving history of the American people from the point of view of those who have been exploited politically and economically and whose plight has been largely omitted from most histories. Extending its coverage . . . the book is an excellent antidote to establishment history. Seldom have quotations been so effectively used; the stories of blacks, women, Indians, and poor laborers of all nationalities are told in their own words. While the book is precise enough to please specialists, it should satisfy any adult reader.” - Library Journal

"Howard Zinn's work literally changed the conscience of a generation. And the series of 'people's histories' derived from this great work have provided new understanding of who we are and what we should aspire to be."  - Noam Chomsky

"A brilliant and moving history of the American people." - Library Journal

"A brilliantly written story about the U.S. through the lives of those too often overlooked." - Time magazine

"In this sweeping book, Howard Zinn tells the story of the U.S. through the eyes of the working class, painting a vivid picture of movements for equality that have often met fierce resistance." - Katie Couric Media