Howard Zinn

Howard Zinn was an author of more than 20 books, but is probably best known for his book A People's History of the United States, a decidedly leftist alternative view of the nation to date and runner up for the National Book Award in 1980. It charts the struggles of people from the Native Americans resisting European invasion and conquest to the struggle against slavery and the civil war up to the sixties and seventies and Civil Rights and women’s liberation.

He wasn't just an academic historian, but a active participant in progressive movements he chronicled... Fired from his tenured professorship at Spelman College in Georgia in 1963 for Civil Rights activities, he found a home at Boston University for the next 24 years during which time he became involved in anti-Vietnam War movement and along with Noam Chomsky was entrusted with a copy of the Pentagon Papers by Daniel Ellsberg.

The historian, activist and author died Wednesday at 87.

Audio: BBC, PRI & WBUR's Here & Now. Host: Meghna Chakrabarti Interview: Robin Young.