The People Speak; Voices That Changed Britain

by Unknown

• ISBN13: 9780857864451
• ISBN10: 0857864459
• Format: Trade Book
• Copyright: 2013-04-01
• Publisher: Canongate Books Ltd

Summary

A powerful, inspiring, and refreshing take on British historya true people's history The idea was simple. Take the most impassioned speeches about the fight for what is right and bring them to life for a new generation. The reason why it's so powerful is because it's about everything that matters to us: love and life, sex and death, justice and freedom. We've found some amazing speeches from the most unlikely places, British voices that have been ignored for centuries because history is a tale often told by the winners. Colin Firth Inspired by the U.S. version produced by Arnove, Josh Brolin, Matt Damon, Chris Moore, and Howard Zinn, the story of Britain is told now through the voices of the visionaries, dissenters, rebels, and everyday folk who took on the establishment and stood up for what they believed in. Here are their stories, letters, speeches, and songs, from Oscar Wilde on trial to Mohandas Ghandi's Quit India speech to Bobby Sands' prison diary to Zadie Smith on library closures. Bringing together some of the most powerful words in British history, this collection reminds readers that democracy has never been a spectator sport.

Author Biography

Colin Firth (CBE) is a Bafta- and Academy Award-winning actor. His films include Bridget Jones's Diary, The English Patient, The King's Speech, and A Single Man. Anthony Arnove is the author of Iraq: The Logic of Withdrawal, the editor of The Essential Chomsky and Iraq Under Siege, the coauthor with Howard Zinn of Terrorism and War and Voices of a People's History of the United States, and the codirector of The People Speak with Chris Moore and Howard Zinn.

Table of Contents

An Eminently Skippable Introduction	p. ix
Note on the Text	p. 3
By Way of a Preface	p. 5
1066-1450: Commoners and Kings	p. 7
Disunited Kingdoms: 'Our English Enemies'	p. 19
Freedom of Worship: 'Touching Our Faith'	p. 57
1642-1789: Representing the People	p. 89
Land and Liberty: 'The Earth Is a Common Treasury'	p. 115
Empire and Race: 'All Slaves Want To Be Free'	p. 145
1790-1860: One Man, One Vote	p. 217
Money and Class: 'The Rank Is But the Guinea's Stamp'	p. 251
Workers United: 'Labour's "No" Into Action'	p. 311
1890-1945: Equal Rights	p. 349
War and Peace: 'What People Have Your Battles Slain?'	p. 365
Gender and Sexual Equality: 'A Human Being, Regardless of the Distinction of Sex'	p. 411
1945-2012: Battling the State	p. 455
Notes	p. 487
Acknowledgements	p. 501
Permissions Acknowledgements	p. 503
Permissions Credits	p. 505
Chronological Index	p. 509
Index	p. 517
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