Stephen F. Knott: Demagoguery, Restraint, and the American Presidency Part 1 | BRI Scholar Talks

How does a constitutional presidency reflect admirable qualities and, alternatively, how can a "populist presidency" degrade the office? In a two-part series, BRI Senior Teacher Fellow Tony Williams is joined by author and professor in the National Security Affairs Department at the Naval War College, Stephen Knott, to explore these questions by looking back at the most significant presidents in American history and how they defined their times in office. In part one of their discussion, Knott explains how the "populist presidency" originated in Thomas Jefferson and re-emerged in fiery leaders like Andrew Jackson while other presidents like Abraham Lincoln sought to preserve the constitutionalism and magnanimity of the Founders’ presidency. Knott is the author of "The Lost Soul of the American Presidency: The Decline into Demagoguery and the Prospects for Renewal."

About Stephen F. Knott:

Stephen F. Knott is a professor in the National Security Affairs Department at the Naval War College. He co-chaired the Presidential Oral History Program at the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia. He has also taught teachers for many years at the graduate school program at the Ashbrook Center of Ashland University. He has written numerous books including "Washington and Hamilton: The Alliance That Forged America" and "Alexander Hamilton and the Persistence of Myth."