Kevin Gutzman
Encyclopedia
Kevin R. Constantine Gutzman is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...

, Constitutional
United States Constitution
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It is the framework for the organization of the United States government and for the relationship of the federal government with the states, citizens, and all people within the United States.The first three...

 scholar notable for having written The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Constitution
The Politically Incorrect Guide
The Politically Incorrect Guide is a book series by Regnery Publishing presenting conservative or what the publishers of the books consider, politically incorrect beliefs on various topics. Each book is written by a different author and generally presents a conservative or libertarian viewpoint on...

. He is a professor of the Department of History
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...

 and Non-Western Cultures at Western Connecticut State University
Western Connecticut State University
Western Connecticut State University is a public university in Danbury, Connecticut. Founded in 1903, WestConn has an arts and sciences curriculum, a business school, and several professional programs including elementary and secondary education, nursing, music performance, and social work...

. He is an outspoken critic of excessive power of the Supreme Court
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...

. His views have been characterized as libertarian
Libertarianism
Libertarianism, in the strictest sense, is the political philosophy that holds individual liberty as the basic moral principle of society. In the broadest sense, it is any political philosophy which approximates this view...

, conservative, anti-Federalist, and pro-states' rights
States' rights
States' rights in U.S. politics refers to political powers reserved for the U.S. state governments rather than the federal government. It is often considered a loaded term because of its use in opposition to federally mandated racial desegregation...

.

Early career

Gutzman studied as an undergraduate, graduate, and professional school student at the University of Texas, completing his B.A. there in 1985, and earning his Master of Public Affairs
Master of Public Affairs
The Master of Public Affairs , one of several public affairs degrees, historically has been a master level professional degree offered in public policy schools that provides training in public policy and the operation of government. Courses required for this degree educate students in public and...

 and J.D.
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...

 in 1990. He was a graduate student in history at the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...

, where he received an M.A. in history in 1994 and a Ph.D. in 1999. Gutzman was, at one point, assistant professor of history at John Jay College of the City University of New York
City University of New York
The City University of New York is the public university system of New York City, with its administrative offices in Yorkville in Manhattan. It is the largest urban university in the United States, consisting of 23 institutions: 11 senior colleges, six community colleges, the William E...

. He taught history at New College
New College of Florida
New College of Florida is a public liberal arts college located in Sarasota, Florida. It was founded originally as a private institution and is now an autonomous honors college of the State University System of Florida.-History:...

 in Sarasota, Florida
Sarasota, Florida
Sarasota is a city located in Sarasota County on the southwestern coast of the U.S. state of Florida. It is south of the Tampa Bay Area and north of Fort Myers...

 in March 2008. In 2009, he teaches at Western Connecticut State University
Western Connecticut State University
Western Connecticut State University is a public university in Danbury, Connecticut. Founded in 1903, WestConn has an arts and sciences curriculum, a business school, and several professional programs including elementary and secondary education, nursing, music performance, and social work...

.

Gutzman's expertise is Constitutional
United States Constitution
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It is the framework for the organization of the United States government and for the relationship of the federal government with the states, citizens, and all people within the United States.The first three...

 history and the period of the American Revolutionary War
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...

. The website at the history department of Western Connecticut State University
Western Connecticut State University
Western Connecticut State University is a public university in Danbury, Connecticut. Founded in 1903, WestConn has an arts and sciences curriculum, a business school, and several professional programs including elementary and secondary education, nursing, music performance, and social work...

 describes him as having particular expertise in the Middle Period of American history, from 1760–1877. Gutzman's opinions on Supreme Court nominations
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...

 have been published along with his opinions on Supreme Court
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...

 decisions. His teaching interests include the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...

, the Age of Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...

, Antebellum United States, Southern History
History of the Southern United States
The history of the Southern United States reaches back hundreds of years and includes the Mississippian people, well known for their mound building. European history in the region began in the very earliest days of the exploration and colonization of North America...

, and American Constitutional History
History of the United States Constitution
The United States Constitution was written in 1787, but it did not take effect until after it was ratified in 1789, when it replaced the Articles of Confederation. It remains the basic law of the United States...

.

Book reviews

Gutzman has reviewed books about the Constitution
United States Constitution
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It is the framework for the organization of the United States government and for the relationship of the federal government with the states, citizens, and all people within the United States.The first three...

 in the Journal of American History
Journal of American History
The Journal of American History is the official academic journal of the Organization of American Historians. It covers the field of American history and was established in 1914 as the Mississippi Valley Historical Review, the official journal of the Mississippi Valley Historical Association...

. He reviewed Richard Labunski
Richard Labunski
Richard Labunski is a journalism professor at the University of Kentucky and newspaper columnist who is notable for being an outspoken advocate for reforming the United States Constitution in his book The Second Constitutional Convention. He has been a prominent critic of voter apathy, low voter...

's James Madison
James Madison
James Madison, Jr. was an American statesman and political theorist. He was the fourth President of the United States and is hailed as the “Father of the Constitution” for being the primary author of the United States Constitution and at first an opponent of, and then a key author of the United...

 and the Struggle for the Bill of Rights
Bill of rights
A bill of rights is a list of the most important rights of the citizens of a country. The purpose of these bills is to protect those rights against infringement. The term "bill of rights" originates from England, where it referred to the Bill of Rights 1689. Bills of rights may be entrenched or...

. His reviews have appeared in the National Review
National Review
National Review is a biweekly magazine founded by the late author William F. Buckley, Jr., in 1955 and based in New York City. It describes itself as "America's most widely read and influential magazine and web site for conservative news, commentary, and opinion."Although the print version of the...

and in the Journal of Federalism. Gutzman reviewed Andrew P. Napolitano's A Nation of Sheep in The American Conservative
The American Conservative
The American Conservative is a monthly U.S. opinion magazine published by Ron Unz. Its first editor was Scott McConnell, his successors being Kara Hopkins and the present incumbent, Daniel McCarthy....

. He reviewed a book about Founder
Founding Fathers of the United States
The Founding Fathers of the United States of America were political leaders and statesmen who participated in the American Revolution by signing the United States Declaration of Independence, taking part in the American Revolutionary War, establishing the United States Constitution, or by some...

 George Mason
George Mason
George Mason IV was an American Patriot, statesman and a delegate from Virginia to the U.S. Constitutional Convention...

 written by Jeff Broadwater. Gutzman wrote a book review of "Free in the World: American Slavery and Constitutional Failure" by Mark E. Brandon, entitled "On Constitutional Issues." Gutzman reviewed "Coming to Terms With Democracy: Federalist Intellectuals and the Shaping of American Culture", by Marshall Foletta.

Radio and television broadcasts

Gutzman has been on over 200 radio and television broadcasts. He appeared on the Michael Medved Show
Michael Medved
Michael Medved is an American radio host, author, political commentator and film critic. His Seattle, Washington-based nationally syndicated talk show, The Michael Medved Show, airs throughout the U.S...

, the G. Gordon Liddy Show
G. Gordon Liddy
George Gordon Liddy was the chief operative for the White House Plumbers unit that existed from July–September 1971, during Richard Nixon's presidency. Separately, along with E. Howard Hunt, Liddy organized and directed the Watergate burglaries of the Democratic National Committee headquarters in...

, the Curtis Sliwa Show
Curtis Sliwa
Curtis Sliwa is an American anti-crime activist, founder and CEO of the Guardian Angels, and radio talk show host and media personality.-Guardian Angels:...

, the Joey Reynolds Show
Joey Reynolds
Joey Reynolds is the pseudonym of Joey Pinto, host of the U.S. radio program The Joey Reynolds Show via the WOR Radio Network. Reynolds' broadcasting career started on TV- in Buffalo at WGR TV 2...

, The Political Cesspool
The Political Cesspool
The Political Cesspool is a weekly talk radio show founded by James Edwards, and syndicated by Liberty News Radio Network and Accent Radio Network in the United States...

, FOX News TV's Glenn Beck
Glenn Beck
Glenn Edward Lee Beck is an American conservative radio host, vlogger, author, entrepreneur, political commentator and former television host. He hosts the Glenn Beck Program, a nationally syndicated talk-radio show that airs throughout the United States on Premiere Radio Networks...

 program, on C-Span
C-SPAN
C-SPAN , an acronym for Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network, is an American cable television network that offers coverage of federal government proceedings and other public affairs programming via its three television channels , one radio station and a group of websites that provide streaming...

 Book TV
Book TV
Book TV is the name given to weekend programming on the American cable network C-SPAN2 airing from 8 a.m. Eastern Time Saturday morning to 8 a.m. Eastern Time Monday morning each week. The 48 hour block of programming is focused on non-fiction books and authors, featuring programs in the format of...

, on Lou Dobbs Tonight
Lou Dobbs Tonight
Lou Dobbs Tonight is an American editorial commentary and discussion program hosted by Lou Dobbs, previously broadcast on CNN and currently on Fox Business Network. The hour-long show aired live on evenings every weekday, and was replayed in the overnight/early morning hours. It covered the major...

 on CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...

. Gutzman was interviewed on the Lionel Show on Air America in July 2008 and on the Mike Church
Mike Church
Mike Church is a radio talk show host, and singer/songwriter. In 2006 Church was named to Askmen.com's list of the "Top Ten Shock Jocks in America . He has been called the "American Badass of Talk Radio" and has been called the "The King Dude" by listeners since 2001.The Mike Church Show was the...

radio show on Sirius
Sirius
Sirius is the brightest star in the night sky. With a visual apparent magnitude of −1.46, it is almost twice as bright as Canopus, the next brightest star. The name "Sirius" is derived from the Ancient Greek: Seirios . The star has the Bayer designation Alpha Canis Majoris...

, which he also guest-hosted, on numerous occasions.

Publications in scholarly journals

Gutzman has published scholarly articles in peer-reviewed publications such as The Journal of Southern History, The Journal of the Early Republic, The Review of Politics, The Journal of the Historical Society, Journal of Federalism, The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Continuity: A Journal of History, The Journal of Libertarian Studies, The Greek Orthodox Theological Review, and Essays in History. He is a columnist at LewRockwell.com
LewRockwell.com
LewRockwell.com is a 501 libertarian web magazine operated by Burton Blumert , Lew Rockwell , Eric Garris , and others associated with the Center for Libertarian Studies ; its motto is "anti-state, anti-war, pro-market"...

and has also published in Human Events
Human Events
Human Events is a weekly American conservative magazine. It takes its name from the first sentence of the United States Declaration of Independence...

, National Review
National Review
National Review is a biweekly magazine founded by the late author William F. Buckley, Jr., in 1955 and based in New York City. It describes itself as "America's most widely read and influential magazine and web site for conservative news, commentary, and opinion."Although the print version of the...

, Chronicles: A Magazine of American Culture, Military History
Military history
Military history is a humanities discipline within the scope of general historical recording of armed conflict in the history of humanity, and its impact on the societies, their cultures, economies and changing intra and international relationships....

, and in historical encyclopedias and collections. Gutzman published "Jefferson's Draft Declaration of Independence, Richard Bland, and the Revolutionary Legacy" in the Journal of the Historical Society. In addition, he writes for numerous magazines and journals, often ones with a libertarian
Libertarianism
Libertarianism, in the strictest sense, is the political philosophy that holds individual liberty as the basic moral principle of society. In the broadest sense, it is any political philosophy which approximates this view...

 or conservative perspective, such as TakiMag.com
Taki's Top Drawer
Taki's Magazine, called "Takimag" for short, is an online magazine of "politics and culture" published by the Greek paleoconservative journalist and socialite Taki Theodoracopulos and edited by his daughter Mandolyna Theodoracopulos...

.

Books

Gutzman's The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Constitution was named one of the Top 10 Conservative Books of 2007 by Human Events Magazine. A reviewer commented on the book: "This book shows that there is very little relationship between the Constitution ratified by the 13 states and the constitutional law imposed upon us in the name of that Constitution
United States Constitution
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It is the framework for the organization of the United States government and for the relationship of the federal government with the states, citizens, and all people within the United States.The first three...

. Instead of a system dominated by state-level decision-makers and elected officials, federal judges have given us a highly centralized system run by bureaucrats and appointed officials." Gutzman chronicles what he sees as the "growing gap between what the Constitution actually means and what the Supreme Court says it means." He criticizes Supreme Court justices
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...

 for using the "myth of a living Constitution" to "write their own views into law on some of the most contentious issues of our day." Gutzman thinks the "omnipotence of today's Supreme Court would have surprised and horrified the founders—even the Federalists." According to Gutzman, the Constitution's ratification debates prove that secession
Secession
Secession is the act of withdrawing from an organization, union, or especially a political entity. Threats of secession also can be a strategy for achieving more limited goals.-Secession theory:...

 was constitutional. Gutzman believes that early in United States history, the Supreme Court dismissed the idea of state sovereignty even though delegates at the Philadelphia Convention had believed firmly in this concept. Gutzman blames Chief Justice Marshall
John Marshall
John Marshall was the Chief Justice of the United States whose court opinions helped lay the basis for American constitutional law and made the Supreme Court of the United States a coequal branch of government along with the legislative and executive branches...

 for being responsible for steering the court in an "imperial" direction.

Gutzman's Who Killed the Constitition? The Fate of American Liberty from World War I to George W. Bush was published in 2008 along with co-author Thomas E. Woods. Gutzman, along with author Thomas E. Woods, wrote that "in the twentieth century, all three branches of the federal government have spun out of control, completely abandoning any pretense that the Constitution
United States Constitution
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It is the framework for the organization of the United States government and for the relationship of the federal government with the states, citizens, and all people within the United States.The first three...

 constrains them at all." The authors criticized President Franklin Roosevelt's decision to go off the gold standard, and a reviewer commented that this was one of the worst but often overlooked "government crimes in U.S. history." The book criticized the Commerce Clause
Commerce Clause
The Commerce Clause is an enumerated power listed in the United States Constitution . The clause states that the United States Congress shall have power "To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes." Courts and commentators have tended to...

 for allowing the Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....

 to expand its power beyond what the Constitution intended, and how the Brown v. Board of Education
Brown v. Board of Education
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, 347 U.S. 483 , was a landmark decision of the United States Supreme Court that declared state laws establishing separate public schools for black and white students unconstitutional. The decision overturned the Plessy v. Ferguson decision of 1896 which...

 Supreme Court decision had no constitutional basis. The reviewer explains the authors' logic: "if the Supreme Court can so utterly disregard the Constitution and the very idea of law in this decision to reach its own policymaking goals, then there really is no Constitution to speak of anymore ... the Constitution is dead."

In autumn 2009, Gutzman is writing a book about James Madison
James Madison
James Madison, Jr. was an American statesman and political theorist. He was the fourth President of the United States and is hailed as the “Father of the Constitution” for being the primary author of the United States Constitution and at first an opponent of, and then a key author of the United...

's role in American history.

Political leanings

Gutzman's The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Constitution was identified as a libertarian
Libertarianism
Libertarianism, in the strictest sense, is the political philosophy that holds individual liberty as the basic moral principle of society. In the broadest sense, it is any political philosophy which approximates this view...

 viewpoint although its' focus is more upon the concept of states rights', and not per se the rights of the individual. He is a supporter of states' rights
States' rights
States' rights in U.S. politics refers to political powers reserved for the U.S. state governments rather than the federal government. It is often considered a loaded term because of its use in opposition to federally mandated racial desegregation...

. His opinions have appeared in conservative journals such as The American Conservative
The American Conservative
The American Conservative is a monthly U.S. opinion magazine published by Ron Unz. Its first editor was Scott McConnell, his successors being Kara Hopkins and the present incumbent, Daniel McCarthy....

. Gutzman's Politically Incorrect Guide to the Constitution was given as a free giveaway promotion to subscribers of the conservative magazine Human Events
Human Events
Human Events is a weekly American conservative magazine. It takes its name from the first sentence of the United States Declaration of Independence...

.

Gutzman has been highly critical of Federalists such as Alexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton was a Founding Father, soldier, economist, political philosopher, one of America's first constitutional lawyers and the first United States Secretary of the Treasury...

. He commented on radio:

But Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton was a Founding Father, soldier, economist, political philosopher, one of America's first constitutional lawyers and the first United States Secretary of the Treasury...

 favored a slew of measures that nowadays we would think of as undemocratic ... Of course, people who made the American Revolution thought the word "democracy" was a swear word. And if you check the index to the Federalist Papers
Federalist Papers
The Federalist Papers are a series of 85 articles or essays promoting the ratification of the United States Constitution. Seventy-seven of the essays were published serially in The Independent Journal and The New York Packet between October 1787 and August 1788...

 you'll find that every time they use the word democracy in the Federalist Papers it’s in a negative way. A democracy was a bad kind of a government.


Gutzman has criticized Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....

 as well; he was quoted in the Washington Times saying "This is supposed to be a federal system, but instead Congress seems to think it can legislate anything it wants." Gutzman has also been critical of current elected officials.

Books written by Kevin R. C. Gutzman

  • "Lincoln as Jeffersonian: The Colonization Chimera," in Lincoln Emancipated: The President and the Politics of Race, ed. Brian Dirck (Northern Illinois University Press
    Northern Illinois University Press
    Northern Illinois University Press is a publisher and part of Northern Illinois University. The press publishes about twenty new books per year in history, politics, anthropology, and literature, with about 400 books currently in print. In September 2008 the Press launched a fiction imprint,...

    , 2007)
  • The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Constitution (Regnery Press, 2007)
  • Virginia's American Revolution: From Dominion to Republic, 1776-1840 (Lexington Books, 2007)
  • Who Killed the Constitution?: The Fate of American Liberty from World War I to George W. Bush (Co-authored with Thomas E. Woods, Jr. Crown Forum, 2008)

Books edited

  • Taylor, John
    John Taylor of Caroline
    John Taylor usually called John Taylor of Caroline was a politician and writer. He served in the Virginia House of Delegates and in the United States Senate . He wrote several books on politics and agriculture...

    . New Views of the Constitution of the United States (Alethes, NYP)
  • Taylor, John. Tyranny Unmasked (Alethes, NYP)

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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