This is a reflective episode. The 2025 Fourth of July Independence Day celebrations have just concluded. Flag parades, barbecues, and fireworks followed the observance. Everyone seems well, happy, hopeful, grateful, and eager to see what the United States will bring to them and the world. We often forget that each time people gather to celebrate any major national holiday in the US, some citizens experience pain and relive oppressive memories. This episode discusses Howard Zinn's ‘A People's History of the United States.’ It aims to inspire a renewed sense of gratitude and privilege in living and enjoying America by viewing the country through the eyes of marginalized, hurting, and overlooked citizens. Hear questions about power, economic success, struggles, and justice in the U.S. Explore the role of interest in history and gain insightful analysis of the most significant events in American history. Zinn’s book examines American history from the bottom up, challenging the official narratives taught in schools, events, and historical monuments. Zinn closely examines Columbus and his brutal treatment of indigenous Americans, the subsequent establishment of slavery, class struggles, labor movements, and acts of resistance throughout American history, from Bacon's Rebellion to the fight for women's suffrage and workers' rights. It also analyzes the motivations and consequences of U.S. foreign policy, revealing a consistent pattern of economic interests driving U.S. military interventions and the suppression of dissent at home and abroad. You can purchase the book from Amazon, https://amzn.to/4kATcoM, or at any major bookstore. Please share your thoughts on U.S. history, Zinn’s approach, and how we might discuss our country's difficult past. Also, recommend this episode and the Playing Books podcast. Thank you.

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