DANBURY, Connecticut — Historian and American Constitutional scholar Dr. Kevin R.C. Gutzman will participate in a book-signing of his sixth and most highly acclaimed book, “The Jeffersonians: The Visionary Presidencies of Jefferson, Madison, and Monroe” (St. Martin’s Press, 2022) at noon on Sunday, March 2, 2025, at Barnes & Noble at Danbury Fair, 7 Backus Ave., Space E110, in Danbury. The event will be free and open to the public; copies of “The Jeffersonians” will be available for purchase.
Gutzman is a professor of History, Philosophy and World Perspectives at Western Connecticut State University in Danbury. When he’s not teaching one of several American History courses at WestConn, he’s either researching, writing about or discussing the founding of America. A five-year endeavor to write, Gutzman believes “The Jeffersonians” may be his “best book yet.” The accolades he received before and after its official release date in December 2022 would indicate fellow scholars and historians agree.
In September 2022, “The Jeffersonians” received a rare, starred review from KIRKUS. October 2022 saw a positive mention of Gutzman’s book in The New Yorker: Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, “How Samuel Adams Helped Ferment a Revolution,” October 24, 2022. In November 2022, Amazon.com named “The Jeffersonians” one of its Best Books of the Month in the Memoirs & Biographies and History categories, and it is an Amazon #1 Bestseller in War of 1812 History. “The Jeffersonians” was listed among the five “books to remember in 2022” by USA today, it received a highly favorable review from The Wall Street Journal in December 2022, and the History Book Club named it the Main Selection for January 2023.
Gutzman has been interviewed about the book by the U.S. Military Academy’s resident Jefferson expert, West Point Professor Dr. Robert McDonald, for the National Archives’ online interview series. He’s also discussed the book with podcaster Tom Woods.
“Writing is a ton of work,” Gutzman has said, “but I really enjoy it.” In fact, Gutzman shares the story of being a practicing lawyer who couldn’t wait until his lunch hour so he could read history books. “I went back to graduate school after law school for a Ph.D. in History because I like it.”
All of the books he’s written have built upon each other, Gutzman explained, and there’s nothing he enjoys more than doing radio, television, print and podcast interviews where he encounters people who are interested in the subject and what he’s writing about. No stranger to literary success, Gutzman’s first book spent several weeks on the New York Times Bestseller list in 2007.
Gutzman’s other books include “The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Constitution” (Regnery Publishing, 2006); “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” with coauthor Thomas E. Woods(Crown Forum, 2008); “James Madison and the Making of America” (St. Martin’s Press, 2012); and “Thomas Jefferson Revolutionary: A Radical’s Struggle to Remake America” (St. Martin’s Press, 2017).
He also has chapters published in the following: “James Madison and the Ratification of the Constitution: A Triumph over Adversity,” in “A Companion to James Madison and James Monroe,” ed. Stuart Leibiger (Malden, Massachusetts: Wiley-Blackwell, 2012); “Lincoln as Jeffersonian: The Colonization Chimera,” in “Lincoln Emancipated: The President and the Politics of Race,” ed. Brian Dirck (DeKalb: Northern Illinois University Press, 2007); Foreword to “Anthony Gregory, The Power of Habeas Corpus in America: From the King’s Prerogative to the War on Terror” (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2013).
Gutzman earned a Ph.D. in History, University of Virginia, 1999; J.D., University of Texas School of Law, 1990; Master of Public Affairs, LBJ School of Public Affairs, University of Texas, 1990; M.A. in History, University of Virginia, 1994; and a B.A. in Plan II/History Honors, With Honors and with Special Honors in History, University of Texas, 1985.
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