I’m a history professor at the University of Tennessee. My research focuses on early American history to 1763 and the American Revolution. I teach everything from large survey courses with 125 undergraduates to small graduate seminars. I am also passionate about serving my community.
Research
William Cronon stresses the importance of asking the right questions at the start of new research projects. For years, I have been investigating the causes of the American Revolution. I’ve traveled to archives in different countries to find answers. A variety of institutions were generous in funding my research. I’ve presented my new findings at some of the best academic conferences. And I’ve published articles and books to inform the public. A few of these publications even won awards. Then, I stumbled upon the Caleb Davis Papers at the Massachusetts Historical Society. When I learned Davis was manufacturing chocolate near Boston before the Revolution, a new bee flew into my bonnet. I just had to learn who else was mass-producing chocolate. And how?
Teaching
My mom was a teacher. So was my uncle. I grew up wanting to teach. It’s in my blood.
I went to college to become a high school teacher. I majored in Secondary Education. I even shadowed a teacher for a semester.
I love teaching. It’s about more than achieving a lightbulb moment. Good teaching involves alchemy. You take something rich and complex and break it into simple parts. I like that challenge.
I’ve taught university classes for over fifteen years. My proudest moment was when students nominated me for a teaching award.
Engagement
I can’t think of a single professor who lives in an ivory tower. We all engage the public in the classroom. Most of us give public talks. And I know I’m not alone in actively seeking out ways to serve my community. The history department at the University of Tennessee has a webpage devoted to public service. Serving my community helps me build bridges to people who aren’t in my classrooms. It also helps people see the relevance of a history education. I have given public talks to local Rotary Clubs and retirement homes. I’ve gone into high schools in my area to give short classes. I’ve provided workshops for teachers. Radio stations have asked me to do segments. And I’ve given lectures at our historical society and our historic homes.
In the Archive
Reading eighteenth-century handwriting takes intense concentration. Here I am in the reading room at the Massachusetts Historical Society in Boston. This is one of my favorite places to research early American history. I’m looking at Caleb Davis’s account books for records of who did what labor in his chocolate works.
In the Classroom
First day selfie with the students in HIUS 221. This is a large class that typically fills with international students and non-history majors who are required to take a survey of U.S. history. I do my best to convince them that there are lessons and perspectives in the past that can inform our present and our future. And I try to make them smile, too.
In the Community
Knoxville, Tennessee is rich in history. The Blount Mansion interprets the dramatic and complex history of William Blount, one of our Founding Fathers. If you don’t know his story, then here is a lecture I gave at the Mansion.
