Thomas Ernest Woods Jr. (born August 1, 1972) is an American author and
libertarian
Libertarianism (from french: libertaire, "libertarian"; from la, libertas, "freedom") is a political philosophy that upholds liberty as a core value. Libertarians seek to maximize autonomy and political freedom, and minimize the state's e ...
commentator who is currently a senior fellow at the
Mises Institute
Ludwig von Mises Institute for Austrian Economics, or Mises Institute, is a libertarian nonprofit think tank headquartered in Auburn, Alabama, United States. It is named after the Austrian School economist Ludwig von Mises (1881–1973).
It ...
.
[Naji Filali]
Interview with Thomas E. Woods, Jr.
Harvard Political Review
The ''Harvard Political Review'' is a quarterly, nonpartisan American magazine and website on politics and public policy founded in 1969 at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It covers domestic and international affairs and politica ...
, August 16, 2011. Woods is a proponent of the
Austrian School
The Austrian School is a heterodox school of economic thought that advocates strict adherence to methodological individualism, the concept that social phenomena result exclusively from the motivations and actions of individuals. Austrian schoo ...
of economics. He hosts a daily
podcast
A podcast is a program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. For example, an episodic series of digital audio or video files that a user can download to a personal device to listen to at a time of their choosing ...
, ''The Tom Woods Show,'' and formerly co-hosted the weekly podcast ''Contra
Krugman''.
Woods received media attention for writing ''
The Politically Incorrect Guide to American History'' in 2004, which promoted his interpretation of
US history
The history of the lands that became the United States began with the arrival of the first people in the Americas around 15,000 BC. Numerous indigenous cultures formed, and many saw transformations in the 16th century away from more densely ...
and was a ''New York Times'' bestseller. His subsequent writing has focused on promoting libertarianism and libertarian leaning political figures such as former Congressman and presidential candidate
Ron Paul. Woods teaches
homeschooling
Homeschooling or home schooling, also known as home education or elective home education (EHE), is the education of school-aged children at home or a variety of places other than a school. Usually conducted by a parent, tutor, or an onlin ...
courses on
Western civilization
Leonardo da Vinci's ''Vitruvian Man''. Based on the correlations of ideal Body proportions">human proportions with geometry described by the ancient Roman architect Vitruvius in Book III of his treatise ''De architectura''.
image:Plato Pio-Cle ...
and
Government
A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state.
In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...
called ''The Liberty Homeschooler'' as part of the ''Ron Paul Curriculum''. His 2009 book ''
Meltdown
Meltdown may refer to:
Science and technology
* Nuclear meltdown, a severe nuclear reactor accident
* Meltdown (security vulnerability), affecting computer processors
* Mutational meltdown, in population genetics
Arts and entertainment Music
* Me ...
'' on the
financial crisis of 2007–2008
Finance is the study and discipline of money, currency and capital assets. It is related to, but not synonymous with economics, the study of production, distribution, and consumption of money, assets, goods and services (the discipline of fi ...
also became a
New York Times bestseller
''The New York Times'' Best Seller list is widely considered the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States. John Bear, ''The #1 New York Times Best Seller: intriguing facts about the 484 books that have been #1 New York Times ...
.
Education
Woods holds a
BA from
Harvard (1994) and an
MPhil and
PhD from
Columbia (2000), all in
history
History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the History of writing#Inventions of writing, invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbr ...
. His
thesis
A thesis ( : theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: ...
became ''The Church Confronts Modernity: Catholic Intellectuals and the Progressive Era,'' which he says has nothing to do with libertarianism.
Affiliations and awards
Woods is a senior fellow of the
Mises Institute
Ludwig von Mises Institute for Austrian Economics, or Mises Institute, is a libertarian nonprofit think tank headquartered in Auburn, Alabama, United States. It is named after the Austrian School economist Ludwig von Mises (1881–1973).
It ...
and is on the editorial board for the institute's ''
Libertarian Papers''. Woods was a founding member of the
League of the South (see ).
Woods was an
ISI Richard M. Weaver Fellow in 1995 and 1996. In August 2020, Woods joined the
advisory board of the
Mises Caucus
The Libertarian Party Mises Caucus (LPMC) is a caucus within the United States Libertarian Party that promotes paleolibertarianism and a more radical version of libertarianism associated with the presidential campaigns of Ron Paul. It was f ...
political action committee where he continues advising as of April 10, 2022.
Woods received the 2019
Hayek Hayek, Hayki or AlHayki is a surname:
* As a variant spelling of the Czech name Hájek, which originally meant "a grove", it commonly occurs in Czech place names. It occurs among Polish Jews in a Polish language spelling as ''Chajek''.
* The ...
Lifetime Achievement Award from the Austrian Economics Center in
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
and awards from the
Independent Institute
The Independent Institute is an American libertarian think tank based in Oakland, California. Founded in 1986 by David J. Theroux, the institute focuses on political, social, economic, legal, environmental, and foreign policy issues. It has more ...
and the
Institute for Humane Studies
The Institute for Humane Studies (IHS) is a non-profit organization that promotes the teaching and research of classical liberalism in higher education in the United States. IHS offers funding opportunities, programs, and events for faculty and g ...
at
George Mason University. Between 1995 and 2005, he was awarded $8,000 from the
Earhart Foundation
The Earhart Foundation was an American private charitable foundation that funded research and scholarship since its founding in 1929 by oil executive Harry Boyd Earhart. Richard Ware served as the Foundation's longtime president.
History
The Ph ...
.
His book ''The Church and the Market: A Catholic Defense of the Free Economy'' (2005) won the $50,000 first prize in the 2006
Templeton Enterprise Awards.
Publications
Woods is the author of 20 books. His ''
Politically Incorrect Guide to American History'' was on
''The New York Times'' Best Seller list for paperbacks in 2005. His 2009 book ''
Meltdown
Meltdown may refer to:
Science and technology
* Nuclear meltdown, a severe nuclear reactor accident
* Meltdown (security vulnerability), affecting computer processors
* Mutational meltdown, in population genetics
Arts and entertainment Music
* Me ...
'' also made the bestseller list in 2009.
Woods has many articles published in popular and scholarly periodicals, including the ''
American Historical Review
''The American Historical Review'' is a quarterly academic history journal and the official publication of the American Historical Association. It targets readers interested in all periods and facets of history and has often been described as the ...
'', ''
The Christian Science Monitor
''The Christian Science Monitor'' (''CSM''), commonly known as ''The Monitor'', is a nonprofit news organization that publishes daily articles in electronic format as well as a weekly print edition. It was founded in 1908 as a daily newspaper ...
'', ''
Investor's Business Daily
''Investor's Business Daily'' (''IBD'') is an American newspaper and website covering the stock market, international business, finance and economics. Founded in 1984 by William O'Neil as a print news publication, it is owned by News Corp and is ...
'', ''
Modern Age'', ''American Studies'', ''Journal of Markets & Morality'', ''New Oxford Review'', ''
The Freeman
''The Freeman'' (formerly published as ''The Freeman: Ideas on Liberty'' or ''Ideas on Liberty'') was an American libertarian magazine, formerly published by the Foundation for Economic Education (FEE). It was founded in 1950 by John Chamberl ...
'', ''
The Independent Review
''The Independent Review: A Journal of Political Economy'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal covering political economy and the critical analysis of government policy. It is published by the Independent Institute, a conservative li ...
'', ''Journal des Économistes et des Études Humaines'', ''AD2000'', ''Crisis'', ''Human Rights Review'', ''Catholic Historical Review'', the ''Catholic Social Science Review'', ''
The Latin Mass: A Journal of Catholic Culture'', and ''
The American Conservative
''The American Conservative'' (''TAC'') is a magazine published by the American Ideas Institute which was founded in 2002. Originally published twice a month, it was reduced to monthly publication in August 2009, and since February 2013, it has ...
''.
Views
Woods is a
Rothbardian anarcho-capitalist
Anarcho-capitalism (or, colloquially, ancap) is an anti-statist, libertarian, and anti-political philosophy and economic theory that seeks to abolish centralized states in favor of stateless societies with systems of private property enfo ...
and
Libertarian
Libertarianism (from french: libertaire, "libertarian"; from la, libertas, "freedom") is a political philosophy that upholds liberty as a core value. Libertarians seek to maximize autonomy and political freedom, and minimize the state's e ...
.
Libertarianism
![Tom Woods by Gage Skidmore 3](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bf/Tom_Woods_by_Gage_Skidmore_3.jpg)
which asserts that
individual rights
Group rights, also known as collective rights, are rights held by a group '' qua'' a group rather than individually by its members; in contrast, individual rights are rights held by individual people; even if they are group-differentiated, which ...
,
property rights
The right to property, or the right to own property (cf. ownership) is often classified as a human right for natural persons regarding their possessions. A general recognition of a right to private property is found more rarely and is typically ...
,
peace
Peace is a concept of societal friendship and harmony in the absence of hostility and violence. In a social sense, peace is commonly used to mean a lack of conflict (such as war) and freedom from fear of violence between individuals or groups. ...
, the
free market
In economics, a free market is an economic system in which the prices of goods and services are determined by supply and demand expressed by sellers and buyers. Such markets, as modeled, operate without the intervention of government or any ot ...
, and the
nonaggression principle are paramount and that
collectivism
Collectivism may refer to:
* Bureaucratic collectivism, a theory of class society whichto describe the Soviet Union under Joseph Stalin
* Collectivist anarchism, a socialist doctrine in which the workers own and manage the production
* Collectivis ...
,
violence
Violence is the use of physical force so as to injure, abuse, damage, or destroy. Other definitions are also used, such as the World Health Organization's definition of violence as "the intentional use of physical force or Power (social and p ...
, and
coercion should be opposed. Like some anarcho-capitalists,
U.S. Constitution
Woods co-authored ''Who Killed the Constitution?'' with
Kevin Gutzman
Kevin R. Constantine Gutzman (; born May 20, 1963) is an American constitutional scholar and historian. He is Professor of History at Western Connecticut State University.
Biography
Gutzman holds a B.A. from the University of Texas (1985); a J ...
, Professor of History at Western Connecticut State University. Woods and Gutzman criticize what they view as
unconstitutional
Constitutionality is said to be the condition of acting in accordance with an applicable constitution; "Webster On Line" the status of a law, a procedure, or an act's accordance with the laws or set forth in the applicable constitution. When l ...
political overreach spanning from
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
to the
Obama Administration. Woods has promoted the views of
Lysander Spooner
Lysander Spooner (January 19, 1808May 14, 1887) was an American individualist anarchist, abolitionist, entrepreneur, essayist, legal theorist, pamphletist, political philosopher, Unitarian and writer.
Spooner was a strong advocate of the labor ...
, who argued that
the Constitution holds no
authority
In the fields of sociology and political science, authority is the legitimate power of a person or group over other people. In a civil state, ''authority'' is practiced in ways such a judicial branch or an executive branch of government.''The N ...
because the public has not explicitly
consent
Consent occurs when one person voluntarily agrees to the proposal or desires of another. It is a term of common speech, with specific definitions as used in such fields as the law, medicine, research, and sexual relationships. Consent as und ...
ed to it and because the
Federal Government in his view has not followed its obligations and limits.
Woods advocates the
compact theory
In United States constitutional theory, compact theory is an interpretation of the Constitution which holds that the United States was formed through a compact agreed upon by all the states, and that the federal government is thus a creation of t ...
and promotes the legal theory of
nullification
Nullification may refer to:
* Nullification (U.S. Constitution), a legal theory that a state has the right to nullify any federal law deemed unconstitutional with respect to the United States Constitution
* Nullification Crisis, the 1832 confront ...
, which was espoused by
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 18 ...
and
James Madison
James Madison Jr. (March 16, 1751June 28, 1836) was an American statesman, diplomat, and Founding Father. He served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. Madison is hailed as the "Father of the Constitution" for hi ...
in the
Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions
The Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions were political statements drafted in 1798 and 1799 in which the Kentucky and Virginia legislatures took the position that the federal Alien and Sedition Acts were unconstitutional. The resolutions argued ...
. The resolutions argue that states are duty-bound to resist unconstitutional federal acts. In his book ''Nullification'', he details the history of and justification for
nullification
Nullification may refer to:
* Nullification (U.S. Constitution), a legal theory that a state has the right to nullify any federal law deemed unconstitutional with respect to the United States Constitution
* Nullification Crisis, the 1832 confront ...
and its adoption by various political movements including
abolitionists
Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the movement to end slavery. In Western Europe and the Americas, abolitionism was a historic movement that sought to end the Atlantic slave trade and liberate the enslaved people.
The Britis ...
,
slave holders, and those opposed to
tariffs
A tariff is a tax imposed by the government of a country or by a supranational union on imports or exports of goods. Besides being a source of revenue for the government, import duties can also be a form of regulation of foreign trade and po ...
. He goes on to suggest nullification as a tool that states can use to
check the powers of the federal government. As such, Woods is a supporter of the
Tenth Amendment Center, which aims to resist what it views as federal overreach through state action.
Woods views the
Bill of Rights
A bill of rights, sometimes called a declaration of rights or a charter of rights, is a list of the most important rights to the citizens of a country. The purpose is to protect those rights against infringement from public officials and pri ...
as a limitation solely on federal power, and not on the power of the states. In an article for the ''
Southern Partisan
''Southern Partisan'' is a neo-Confederate online magazine based in Columbia, South Carolina, United States. It is focused on the Southern region and states that were formerly members of the Confederate States of America. Founded in 1979 as ''So ...
'' magazine in 1997 Woods writes: "The Bill of Rights, moreover, erroneously invoked by modern
Civil Libertarians
Civil libertarianism is a strain of political thought that supports civil liberties, or which emphasizes the supremacy of individual rights and personal freedoms over and against any kind of authority (such as a state, a corporation, social no ...
, was never intended to protect individuals from the state governments. Jefferson is far from alone in insisting that only the federal government is restricted from regulating the press, church-state relations, and so forth. The states may do as they wish in these areas."
Conservatism
![Tom Woods by Gage Skidmore 2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/71/Tom_Woods_by_Gage_Skidmore_2.jpg)
In a 2011 interview, Woods said that he entered Harvard as a "middle-of-the-road
Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
, the very thing that drives me most berserk today" and then later became a "fully-fledged libertarian."
He has criticized those he deems
''neoconservative'' and previously identified himself as
traditional conservative.
Woods' ''
Politically Incorrect Guide to American History'' was scathingly reviewed by commentator
Max Boot
Max Alexandrovich Boot (born September 12, 1969) is an American author, consultant, editorialist, lecturer, and military historian. He worked as a writer and editor for ''Christian Science Monitor'' and then for ''The Wall Street Journal'' in the ...
of ''
The Weekly Standard
''The Weekly Standard'' was an American neoconservative political magazine of news, analysis and commentary, published 48 times per year. Originally edited by founders Bill Kristol and Fred Barnes, the ''Standard'' had been described as a "re ...
''. Boot accused Woods of being overly sympathetic with
Southerners such as
John C. Calhoun and their belief in a
state's right to
secede
Secession is the withdrawal of a group from a larger entity, especially a political entity, but also from any organization, union or military alliance. Some of the most famous and significant secessions have been: the former Soviet republics l ...
and in
state nullification, while exaggerating the militarism of
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...
,
Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. A leader of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 34th vice president from January to April 1945 under Franklin ...
, and
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...
.
Woods responded by criticizing Boot as an embodiment of "everything that is wrong with modern conservatism." Historian
David Greenberg dismissed the book as "a brisk tour of U.S. history from
Colonial
Colonial or The Colonial may refer to:
* Colonial, of, relating to, or characteristic of a colony or colony (biology)
Architecture
* American colonial architecture
* French Colonial
* Spanish Colonial architecture
Automobiles
* Colonial (1920 au ...
to
Clintonian times, filtered through a lens of
far-right dogma
Dogma is a belief or set of beliefs that is accepted by the members of a group without being questioned or doubted. It may be in the form of an official system of principles or doctrines of a religion, such as Roman Catholicism, Judaism, Islam ...
, circa 1939" that is "
incorrect in more than just its politics" and that "would be tedious to debunk." Judge James Haley, by contrast, praised the book in the conservative ''
Weekly Standard
''The Weekly Standard'' was an American neoconservative political magazine of news, analysis and commentary, published 48 times per year. Originally edited by founders Bill Kristol and Fred Barnes, the ''Standard'' had been described as a "red ...
'' as "a compelling rebuttal to the liberal sentiment encrusted upon current history texts."
Anti-Immigration
Woods
opposes immigration. He argued in a 1995
The Freeman
''The Freeman'' (formerly published as ''The Freeman: Ideas on Liberty'' or ''Ideas on Liberty'') was an American libertarian magazine, formerly published by the Foundation for Economic Education (FEE). It was founded in 1950 by John Chamberl ...
article "Liberty and Immigration" that libertarians have made a mistake to welcome immigration (legal as well as illegal), because he views
open borders
An open border is a border that enables free movement of people (and often of goods) between jurisdictions with no restrictions on movement and is lacking substantive border control. A border may be an open border due to intentional legislation ...
to infringe on the property rights of homeowners.
Economics
Woods has been an advocate of
hard money, and is critical of the
Federal Reserve
The Federal Reserve System (often shortened to the Federal Reserve, or simply the Fed) is the central banking system of the United States of America. It was created on December 23, 1913, with the enactment of the Federal Reserve Act, after a ...
and other
central bank
A central bank, reserve bank, or monetary authority is an institution that manages the currency and monetary policy of a country or monetary union,
and oversees their commercial banking system. In contrast to a commercial bank, a central b ...
s which he views as responsible for unnatural
inflation
In economics, inflation is an increase in the general price level of goods and services in an economy. When the general price level rises, each unit of currency buys fewer goods and services; consequently, inflation corresponds to a reduct ...
and the
business cycle
Business cycles are intervals of Economic expansion, expansion followed by recession in economic activity. These changes have implications for the welfare of the broad population as well as for private institutions. Typically business cycles are ...
. Economist
Steven Horwitz
Steven G. Horwitz (February 7, 1964 – June 27, 2021) was an American economist of the Austrian School. Horwitz was the Distinguished Professor of Free Enterprise in the department of economics in the Miller College of Business at Ball State Un ...
has pointed out that Woods'
monetary theory
Monetary economics is the branch of economics that studies the different competing theories of money: it provides a framework for analyzing money and considers its functions (such as medium of exchange, store of value and unit of account), and it ...
and definitions of inflation and
deflation
In economics, deflation is a decrease in the general price level of goods and services. Deflation occurs when the inflation rate falls below 0% (a negative inflation rate). Inflation reduces the value of currency over time, but sudden deflatio ...
rely on a
Rothbardian 100% reserve requirement
Reserve requirements are central bank regulations that set the minimum amount that a commercial bank must hold in liquid assets. This minimum amount, commonly referred to as the commercial bank's reserve, is generally determined by the centra ...
, which is not the only perspective in the
Austrian School
The Austrian School is a heterodox school of economic thought that advocates strict adherence to methodological individualism, the concept that social phenomena result exclusively from the motivations and actions of individuals. Austrian schoo ...
.
Woods believes that the
gender pay gap results because "women often intend to leave the labor force for extended periods of time in order to have children, they do not consider certain high-paying fields where their knowledge would be obsolete after so long an absence."
Woods has been highly critical of
Keynesian economics
Keynesian economics ( ; sometimes Keynesianism, named after British economist John Maynard Keynes) are the various macroeconomic theories and models of how aggregate demand (total spending in the economy) strongly influences economic output a ...
. Woods co-hosted the ''Contra Krugman'' podcast (from September 2015 to June 2020) with economist
Robert P. Murphy
Robert Patrick Murphy (born May 23, 1976) is an American economist. Murphy is Research Assistant Professor with the Free Market Institute at Texas Tech University. He has been affiliated with Laffer Associates, the Pacific Research Institute, ...
, which critiqued
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfr ...
winning
New Keynesian
New Keynesian economics is a school of macroeconomics that strives to provide microeconomic foundations for Keynesian economics. It developed partly as a response to criticisms of Keynesian macroeconomics by adherents of new classical macroec ...
economist
Paul Krugman
Paul Robin Krugman ( ; born February 28, 1953) is an American economist, who is Distinguished Professor of Economics at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, and a columnist for ''The New York Times''. In 2008, Krugman was th ...
's ''
Times
Time is the continued sequence of existence and events, and a fundamental quantity of measuring systems.
Time or times may also refer to:
Temporal measurement
* Time in physics, defined by its measurement
* Time standard, civil time speci ...
'' columns through the lens of free market
Austrian economics
The Austrian School is a heterodox school of economic thought that advocates strict adherence to methodological individualism, the concept that social phenomena result exclusively from the motivations and actions of individuals. Austrian school ...
and said it taught economics "by uncovering and dissecting the errors of Krugman."
Affiliation with League of the South
In 1994, Woods was a founding member of the
League of the South for which he has been criticized.
Woods has argued that the League has changed its politics and was not
racist or
anti-semitic in 1994. A 2005 article in ''
Reason Magazine
''Reason'' is an American libertarian monthly magazine published by the Reason Foundation. The magazine has a circulation of around 50,000 and was named one of the 50 best magazines in 2003 and 2004 by the ''Chicago Tribune''.
History
''Reaso ...
'' called out Woods for his background in the
neo-Confederate
Neo-Confederates are groups and individuals who portray the Confederate States of America and its actions during the American Civil War in a positive light. The League of the South, the Sons of Confederate Veterans and other neo-Confederate org ...
organization, stating his views meant he was not a libertarian. The author also noted his frequent writing in the group's magazine, ''The Southern Patriot'', up through 1997 and received a quote from Woods stating that he didn't disagree with most of the views he made in said publications. An article in the same year by a member of the ''League of the South'' published in ''
The American Conservative
''The American Conservative'' (''TAC'') is a magazine published by the American Ideas Institute which was founded in 2002. Originally published twice a month, it was reduced to monthly publication in August 2009, and since February 2013, it has ...
'' praised Woods' background in the group, his book, and the views expressed within, especially those concerning the
Confederacy and how its defeat was the "defining moment when the United States took its steps towards the abyss of the monstrous centralised state, rootless society and decadent culture that we have today."
In 2013, an article by the non-profit
Political Research Associates
Political Research Associates (PRA), formerly Midwest Research, Chicago (1981–87) is a non-profit research group located in Somerville, Massachusetts.
Mission
PRA studies the U.S. political right wing, as well as white supremacists, and para ...
, which studies
right-wing white supremacist and extremist groups, noted that Woods was a frequent speaker at
neo-confederate
Neo-Confederates are groups and individuals who portray the Confederate States of America and its actions during the American Civil War in a positive light. The League of the South, the Sons of Confederate Veterans and other neo-Confederate org ...
events throughout the 1990s and since then, along with contributing to the ''American Secession Project'' started in 2000. The authors noted that a 1997 article written by Woods in the neo-confederate ''
Southern Partisan
''Southern Partisan'' is a neo-Confederate online magazine based in Columbia, South Carolina, United States. It is focused on the Southern region and states that were formerly members of the Confederate States of America. Founded in 1979 as ''So ...
'' magazine had him include in the author byline that he was a "founding member of the League of the South." An article from 2014 in
Alan Keyes
Alan Lee Keyes (born August 7, 1950) is an American politician, political activist, author, and perennial candidate who served as the Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs from 1985 to 1987. A member of the Repub ...
' ''Renew America'' organization criticized Woods for his "secessionist libertarianism" and his ongoing involvement with members of "the white supremacist League of the South", though pointed out that it was likely he was naive in his viewpoints, but not racist.
Woods contended in 2018 that the League was founded as a "decentralist" organization and then later took a "dramatic" and "vicious" turn toward
racism
Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one race over another. It may also mean prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism ...
and
anti-semitism
Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism.
Antis ...
. Woods argued: "To show that the organization has undergone a dramatic change, I don't exactly need to hire a private detective. The League’s president himself wrote of having made a 'conscious change' to the League, such that 'we have radicalized by openly and directly addressing the
Negro
In the English language, ''negro'' is a term historically used to denote persons considered to be of Black African heritage. The word ''negro'' means the color black in both Spanish and in Portuguese, where English took it from. The term can be ...
Question and the
Jew Question.' Here is express admission of what was already obvious to anyone of good will: this is not the League
Jeffrey Tucker
Jeffrey Albert Tucker (; born December 19, 1963) is an American libertarian writer, publisher, entrepreneur and advocate of anarcho-capitalism and Bitcoin.
For many years he worked for Ron Paul, the Mises Institute, and Lew Rockwell. Wit ...
and I joined in 1994. Anyone who says otherwise has no idea what he’s talking about. This in fact is why all the PhDs present at the League’s founding, including one of the world’s top David Hume scholars, by all accounts, are long gone — as even the
Southern Poverty Law Center
The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit legal advocacy organization specializing in civil rights and public interest litigation. Based in Montgomery, Alabama, it is known for its legal cases against white s ...
now concedes." In an interview with Reason TV's
Matt Welch
Matthew Lee Welch (born July 31, 1968) is an American blogger, journalist, author, and
libertarian political pundit.
Early life
Welch was born on July 31, 1968 in Bellflower, California. He was raised in Long Beach, California. He attended U ...
, Woods stated, "Anyone who knows or listens to me, knows I would not be involved with anything sinister. The problem is I will not apologize because the group I joined were a bunch of nerdy academics like me and there was nothing wrong with that group. I could save myself an enormous amount of grief if I would apologize but I will not apologize for this because I am sick and tired of cowards who give in to this type of pressure."
COVID-19
During the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
, Woods has criticized public health measures meant to control the spread of COVID-19, questioning their efficacy and expounding on the supposed dangers of
social distancing
In public health, social distancing, also called physical distancing, (NB. Regula Venske is president of the PEN Centre Germany.) is a set of non-pharmaceutical interventions or measures intended to prevent the spread of a contagious dis ...
,
masking, and
mandatory lockdowns. His claims in a November 7, 2020, speech ''Dangers of the Covid Cult'' opposing these
non-pharmaceutical interventions were labeled misleading and rebutted by ''Health Feedback'' (a member of
WHO
Who or WHO may refer to:
* Who (pronoun), an interrogative or relative pronoun
* Who?, one of the Five Ws in journalism
* World Health Organization
Arts and entertainment Fictional characters
* Who, a creature in the Dr. Seuss book '' Horton He ...
's
Vaccine Safety Net), which Woods disputed.
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
removed the
Mises Institute
Ludwig von Mises Institute for Austrian Economics, or Mises Institute, is a libertarian nonprofit think tank headquartered in Auburn, Alabama, United States. It is named after the Austrian School economist Ludwig von Mises (1881–1973).
It ...
's upload of the video for violating
medical misinformation. On April 6, 2022, Woods called for "a full-blown book-length demolition of what ''
public health
Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the det ...
'' has been up to for the past half century."
''The Tom Woods Show''
Woods conducts interviews on economic topics,
foreign policy
A State (polity), state's foreign policy or external policy (as opposed to internal or domestic policy) is its objectives and activities in relation to its interactions with other states, unions, and other political entities, whether bilaterall ...
, and history in his daily
podcast
A podcast is a program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. For example, an episodic series of digital audio or video files that a user can download to a personal device to listen to at a time of their choosing ...
, ''The Tom Woods Show'', since September 2013.
Bibliography
As author
* ''The Great Façade:
Vatican II
The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions), each lasting between 8 and ...
and the Regime of Novelty in the Catholic Church'' (co-authored with
Christopher Ferrara
Christopher A. Ferrara (born 1952) is an American Roman Catholic lawyer, anti-abortion activist, political pundit, and writer. He is the founder and president of the American Catholic Lawyers Association. He is also a regular columnist of The Rem ...
; 2002)
* ''The Church Confronts Modernity: Catholic Intellectuals and the Progressive Era'' (2004)
* ''
The Politically Incorrect Guide to American History'' (2004)
* ''The Church and the Market: A Catholic Defense of the Free Economy'' (2005)
* ''How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization'' (2005)
* ''33 Questions About American History You're Not Supposed to Ask'' (2007)
* ''Sacred Then and Sacred Now: The Return of the Old Latin Mass'' (2007)
[Also o]
audio book
, as read by the author Thomas Woods.
* ''Who Killed the Constitution?: The Fate of American Liberty from World War I to George W. Bush'' (co-authored with
Kevin Gutzman
Kevin R. Constantine Gutzman (; born May 20, 1963) is an American constitutional scholar and historian. He is Professor of History at Western Connecticut State University.
Biography
Gutzman holds a B.A. from the University of Texas (1985); a J ...
; 2008) ()
* ''Beyond
Distributism
Distributism is an economic theory asserting that the world's productive assets should be widely owned rather than concentrated.
Developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, distributism was based upon Catholic social teaching pri ...
'' (2008),
Acton Institute
The Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty is an American research and educational institution, or think tank, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, (with an office in Rome) whose stated mission is "to promote a free and virtuous society ch ...
.
* ''
Meltdown
Meltdown may refer to:
Science and technology
* Nuclear meltdown, a severe nuclear reactor accident
* Meltdown (security vulnerability), affecting computer processors
* Mutational meltdown, in population genetics
Arts and entertainment Music
* Me ...
: A Free-Market Look at Why the Stock Market Collapsed, the Economy Tanked, and Government Bailouts Will Make Things Worse'' (February 2009) ()
* ''Nullification: How to Resist Federal Tyranny in the 21st Century '' (2010)
* ''Rollback: Repealing Big Government Before the Coming Fiscal Collapse'' (2011)
* ''Real Dissent: A Libertarian Sets Fire to the Index Card of Allowable Opinion'' (2014)
* several free
eBooks
An ebook (short for electronic book), also known as an e-book or eBook, is a book publication made available in digital form, consisting of text, images, or both, readable on the flat-panel display of computers or other electronic devices. Alt ...
As editor
*
*
*
* (Co-edited with
Murray Polner.)
*
References
External links
Official website(includes the ''Tom Woods Show'' podcast)
Contra Krugman(podcast)
*
*
Thomas Woods archive at LewRockwell.comThomas Woods archive at TheAmericanConservative.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Woods, Thomas
1972 births
Living people
21st-century American historians
21st-century American essayists
21st-century American male writers
21st-century American non-fiction writers
21st-century Roman Catholics
American anarcho-capitalists
American columnists
American libertarians
American male non-fiction writers
American podcasters
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American traditionalist Catholics
American writers of Armenian descent
Armenian American
Catholics from Massachusetts
Catholic libertarians
Columbia University alumni
Converts to Roman Catholicism from Lutheranism
Critics of neoconservatism
Harvard University alumni
Historians from Massachusetts
Historians of the United States
Historians of the Catholic Church
Libertarian historians
Libertarian theorists
Mises Institute people
Non-interventionism
Paleolibertarianism
Right-libertarianism
People from Melrose, Massachusetts
Suffolk County Community College faculty
Traditionalist Catholic writers
League of the South
Jeffersonian democracy