NYT-Best Seller Dr. Kevin Gutzman on the Jeffersonian Presidents

In this week’s episode of The Learning Curve, co-hosts U-Ark Prof. Albert Cheng and retired MN Supreme Court Justice Barry Anderson speak with Prof. Kevin Gutzman, Professor and former Chairman of the Department of History at Western Connecticut State University, and New York Times best-selling author of The Jeffersonians: The Visionary Presidencies of Jefferson, Madison, and Monroe. Prof. Gutzman examines the political and constitutional legacy of America’s “Virginia Dynasty,” beginning with President Thomas Jefferson’s philosophy of limited government, states' rights, and religious liberty. He explores Jefferson’s sharp political differences with the Federalists, the importance of his first inaugural address, and major events such as the Louisiana Purchase and the Embargo Act. Turning to President James Madison, Prof. Gutzman discusses the “Father of the Constitution’s” disastrous administration during the War of 1812, and reflects on how the conflict severely tested Jeffersonian political ideals. He also considers the jurisprudence of President Madison's nominee Justice Joseph Story and his relationship with Chief Justice John Marshall and other members of the U.S. Supreme Court. Prof. Gutzman highlights President James Monroe’s often overlooked achievements, including the Monroe Doctrine and the “Era of Good Feelings,” while assessing the enduring legacy of the Jeffersonian presidents in shaping the Early Republic. He closes with a reading from The Jeffersonians: The Visionary Presidencies of Jefferson, Madison, and Monroe.