A look at America's struggles with war, class, race and women's rights. based on Howard Zinn's "A People's History of the United States.

A 29 minute highlight of the four-hour miniseries is based off of Howard Zinn's landmark 1980 tome A People's History of the United States. The new adaptation will draw from both A People's History and sequel tome Voices of A People's History of the United States, which Zinn wrote with Anthony Arnove. The miniseries will center on the actors and musicians as they read from the books or perform music related to their themes: the struggles of women, war, class and race. The longform will mix the performances with photos, interviews and archival footage.

Historian, playwright and social activist Howard Zinn first published his landmark book, A People’s History of the United States, in 1980. Since then, it has gone on to sell one and a half million copies around the world and inspire innumerable fresh approaches to reflecting on the past. Now comes a unique documentary collaboration between Zinn and others, enlisting an extraordinary lineup of actors, including Viggo Mortensen, Danny Glover, Marisa Tomei and Kerry Washington, who have contributed live stage performances of historical testimonies. The actors portray labour leaders, civil rights demonstrators and other activists, drawn from Voices of a People’s History of the United States, an anthology edited by Zinn and author Anthony Arnove. Zinn and Arnove are bringing this work to film with the support of Matt Damon and Chris Moore, who previously collaborated as producers on the television series “Project Greenlight.” In this special Mavericks presentation, the audiences will be treated to a sneak preview of clips from the documentary The People Speak, along with a discussion on stage between Zinn, Damon, Moore and actor Josh Brolin about the filmmaking process and their motivations.