I am a social and cultural historian of early America, researching primarily in the Revolutionary period. Symbolic, spectacular, and ritualistic expressions of power and authority particularly interest me. My current project explores the Continental Congress and the civic culture—such as fast days, parades, and commemorative medals—by which Congress promoted republicanism and revolution. Central to my study are the many ways that the people out-of-doors challenged Congress and its vision for the United States.

In coming years, I hope to teach broadly in early American history. My teaching interests range from imperialism and ethnicity to historical geography to legal and constitutional development. I am also very excited to teach “Manhood and Masculinity in America,” a course that encourages students to critically interrogate the historicity of gender.

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS:

"The Streets of Philadelphia: Crowds, Congress, and the Political Culture of Revolution, 1774–1783," Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography , 129 (Jan. 2005), 7–44.

"Tar, Feathers, and the Enemies of American Liberties, 1768–1776," New England Quarterly , 76 (June 2003), 197–238.

COURSES:

TRAD103: The Making of American Cultures, 1600-1877
Hist432: Era of the American Revolution
Hist457A: Manhood and Masculinity in America
Hist396: Nature and Origins of U.S. Nationalism