A Conversation with Gordon S. Wood

American Constitutions, from the Age of Washington to Today

A conversation with Gordon S. Wood

Gordon S. Wood is the world’s foremost authority on the historical origins of the United States Constitution. His writings have influenced generations of scholars and shaped debate on a range of issues, from the foundations of American constitutional governance to the character of the American Revolution. His prize-winning first book, The Creation of the American Republic, 1776-1787 (1969), was awarded both the Bancroft Prize (Columbia University) and the John H. Dunning Prize from the American Historical Association. His Radicalism of the American Revolution (1991) was awarded the Pulitzer Prize. Wood is the author of a number of other influential books including Empire of Liberty: A History of the Early Republic, 1789-1815 (2009) and Friends Divided: John Adams and Thomas Jefferson (2017).

Wood spent most of his academic career at Brown University, where he is currently the Alva O. Way Professor of History, Emeritus.