David E. Kyvig
Distinguished Research Professor
Fields of Study: United States-20th Century, Legal/Constitutional/Policy
E-mail: kyvig@niu.edu
Phone: 815-753-6807 (office) 815-754-0970 (home)
Office: Zulauf 602
Education: Ph.D., Northwestern University, 1971
Current Research: I am currently preparing a third edition of my co-authored book Nearby History: Exploring the Past Around You and starting work on two other book projects. The first will be a wide-ranging examination of the daily lives of Americans during the 1940s and 1950s, a continuation of my previous work on grassroots society and culture. The second will be an examination of efforts to deal with constitutional non-functioning and mal-functioning as well as proposals for its reform or replacement from 1789 to the present. This latter project extends my career-long interest in the twentieth century development of the Constitution as it relates to social change, public policy, political practice, and constitutional thought.
Major/Recent Publications:
- The Age of Impeachment: American Constitution Culture since 1960. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 2008.
- Daily Life in the United States, 1920-1939: Decades of Promise and Pain.Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 2002. Second edition; Daily Life in the United States, 1920-1940: How Americans Lived Through the “Roaring Twenties” and the Great Depression. Chicago: Ivan R. Dee Publisher, 2004.
- Unintended Consequences of Constitutional Amendment, editor. Athens: University of Georgia Press, 2000.
- Explicit and Authentic Acts: Amending the U.S. Constitution, 1776-1995. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 1996. Recipient of the 1997 Bancroft Prize, Henry Adams Prize, and Ohio Academy of History Publication Award. A History Book Club selection.
- Reagan and the World, editor. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1990.
- New Day/New Deal: A Bibliography of the Great American Depression, 1929-1941, with Mary-Ann Blasio, contributions by Dawn Corley, and assistance from Frank A. Caulkins, Richard J. Cherok, Ned R. Delamatre, Lin Guo, and Mark S. Harmon. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1988.
- Law, Alcohol, and Order: Perspectives on National Prohibition, editor. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1985. Japanese edition, Tokyo: Tuttle-Mori, 1999.
- Nearby History: Exploring the Past Around You, with Myron A. Marty. Nashville: American Association for State and Local History, 1982. Recipient of the 1983 Ohio Association of Historical Societies and Museums Individual Achievement Award. Second edition; Walnut Hills, Cal.: AltaMira Press, 2000.
- Repealing National Prohibition. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1979; Second edition; Kent, Ohio: Kent State University Press, 2000.
- Your Family History: A Handbook for Research and Writing, with Myron A. Marty. Arlington Heights, Ill.: Harlan Davidson, 1978
- FDR's America, editor. St. Louis, Mo.: Forum Press, 1976.
Teaching Interests: My teaching is informed by my research. Most of my courses focus on America since World War I although I also teach a course that examines the development of the American Constitution from its origins to the recent past. In my twentieth century courses, I like to pay particular attention to grassroots life, national prohibition, the New Deal, the Cold War, the civil rights of blacks and women, the presidency, and the evolution of public policy.
Courses Taught:
- HIST 261 American History Since 1865
- HIST 380 U.S. Constitutional History
- HIST 467 Liberal America, 1929-1960
- HIST 468 America Since 1960
- HIST 510 Reading seminar (various topics)
- HIST 610 Research seminar
Link to CV | Link to Personal Webpage
