Michael Kammen, the Newton C. Farr Professor of American History and Culture at Cornell University, is a past president of the Organization of American Historians. He is the author or editor of numerous works, including "People of Paradox: An Inquiry Concerning the Origins of American Civilization," which won the Pulitzer Prize for History, and "A Machine That Would Go of Itself: The Constitution in American Culture," awarded the Francis Parkman Prize and the Henry Adams Prize. He has lectured throughout the world.