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

The Real Irish American Story
Not Taught in Schools
By Bill Bigelow

Throughout the Irish potato famine there was an abundance of food produced in Ireland, yet the landlords exported it to markets abroad.
 
During the first winter of famine, as perhaps 400,000 Irish peasants starved, landlords exported 17 million pounds sterling worth of grain, cattle, pigs, flour, eggs, and poultry----food that could have prevented those deaths.
 
The school curriculum could and should ask students to reflect on the contradiction of starvation amidst plenty, on the ethics of food exports amidst famine. And it should ask why these patterns persist into our own time. Continue reading
New Lessons on Environmental Justice
 
Our collective house is burning down. The least we can do is help our students understand why and consider ways to respond. 
 
To help students confront the causes and consequences of climate change and the broader environmental crisis, we have posted four new, free downloadable lessons. 
 
Classroom Resources
 People's History Artists
for the Classroom

Check out these people's history artists and photographers. Let us know if you use their images in your classroom.
Continue reading
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Women in Labor History
For Women's History Month (and all year long) we feature profiles of women who have been active in the labor movement.
Continue reading.
Promote People's History
 
Help us bring people's history to teachers and students across the country. When you make a donation, we'll send you a button or sticker to spread the word about the importance of teaching outside the textbook. Donate today!
 


�  2015 The Zinn Education Project, a collaboration of Rethinking Schools and Teaching for Change.  
Zinn Education Project
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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