If We Knew Our History - Zinn Education Project Monthly Column
Presented by the Zinn Education Project
A Collaboration between Rethinking Schools and Teaching for Change

Bill Bigelow
Grenada: 'A Lovely Little War'  
By Bill Bigelow
Zinn Education Project co-director and Rethinking Schools curriculum editor 
 
The Grenada Revolution of 1979 sparked imaginations throughout the Caribbean.
Grenada was "the threat of a good example."
Anti-bullying curricula are the rage these days. But as teachers endeavor to build a culture of civility among young people in school, the official history curriculum they are provided often celebrates, or at least excuses, bullying among nations. Well, at least when the United States is the bully.
 
A good example is the U.S. invasion of Grenada----Operation Urgent Fury, as it was called by the Reagan administration----launched exactly 30 years ago this week, on Oct. 25, 1983. Grenada made an unlikely target of U.S. military might. Its main product was not oil but nutmeg. Its naval fleet consisted of about 10 fishing trawlers. Grenada's population of 110,000 was smaller than Peoria, Illinois. At the time of the invasion, there was not a single stoplight in the entire country. So what put Grenada in the crosshairs of the Reagan administration? Read more

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"Grenada: 'A Lovely Little War'" is the newest article in the  
Zinn Education Project's column called If We Knew Our History,
posted on Common Dreams.
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Related resources at the Zinn Education Project website 
 
Empire or Humanity?: What the Classroom Didn't Teach Me about the American Empire
Article. By Howard Zinn. An essay which raises questions about the justifications for empire building and imperialism.

On March 13, 1979, Grenada's prime minister Eric Gairy was ousted in a coup organized by the New Jewel Movement and led by Maurice Bishop. In this video clip, Bishop speaks aboout how and why the State Department portrays Grenada as a threat.

Book - Non-fiction. By Howard Zinn and Mike Konopacki. Graphic format with photos and narrative introduce parts of U.S. history.


More resources from the Imperialism theme.

©  2013 The Zinn Education Project, a collaboration of Rethinking Schools and Teaching for Change.  
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The goal of the Zinn Education Project is to introduce students to a more accurate, complex, and engaging understanding of United States history.
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