Dr. Jonathan Gienapp

Biography

Jonathan Gienapp is an Associate Professor of History at Stanford University, specializing in constitutional, political, legal, and intellectual history of the early United States. His primary research focus is on the origins and development of the U.S. Constitution, particularly how Founding-era Americans understood and debated constitutionalism during the nation's formative years. His historical interests intersect with contemporary legal debates on constitutional interpretation and theory, especially originalism. Gienapp's forthcoming book, "The Creation: Fixing the American Constitution in the Founding Era," re-evaluates the conventional narrative of American constitutional creation by exploring the foundational understanding of the Constitution during its earliest existence. He investigates how early political debates about the Constitution's meaning shaped Americans' views of constitutional possibilities, establishing a distinctive kind of constitutional culture that has ramifications today. Gienapp has received numerous accolades, including the 2017 Thomas J. Wilson Memorial Prize, the 2019 Book Award from the American Political Science Association, and recognition as a *Choice* Outstanding Academic Title. His work includes a broad range of publications on early American constitutionalism, politics, and intellectual history. He is a founding editor of the Journal of American Constitutional History and serves as a senior editorial advisor while contributing to legal commentary, including amicus briefs for the Supreme Court of the United States.

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