Faculty/Staff

• Chair and Professor, History
• Chair and Professor, Honors Programs
• Chair and Professor of History, Gender and Diversity Studies

First Year at Xavier University:

1999

Degrees:

• BA (Drew University)
• MA, PhD (University of Pennsylvania)

Expertise:

Early America, Native Americans

Biography:

I am a historian specializing in North America from the 16th through the mid-­-19th centuries. In my survey classes, I am particularly interested in reconsidering the historical importance of America’s less well-­-known wars, in particular the War of 1812, the Mexican War, and the Spanish-­-American War. My upper-­-level courses examine the creation of a ‘New World’ in colonial America, where Spaniards, Scots, Angolans, Choctaws, Englishmen, and other groups struggled to understand and control one another. I always ask students to think about developments from multiple perspectives, and to ponder how patterns of interaction established so long ago continue to influence America today. My recent publications include The People of the Standing Stone: The Oneida Nation from the Revolution through the Era of Removal (University of Massachusetts Press, 2011) and  Along the Hudson and Mohawk: The 1790 Journey of Count Paolo Andreani (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2006). I am currently researching the history of the United States sugar industry.

Resume: