I am a historian of the early United States, with particular interests in political culture. My book The American Liberty Pole: Popular Politics and the Struggle for Democracy in the Early Republic was published with the University of Virginia Press in 2023. I am currently at work on my second book, Barnum: The First Celebrity Politician, which explores the political career of P.T. Barnum.
I am an Associate Professor of U.S. History at Saint Mary’s University and the Special Series Editor for the “Road to 250” Series for Made by History at TIME Magazine. I received my PhD in History from the University of Virginia in 2019. Before coming to SMU, I was the University College Fellow in Early American History at the University of Toronto.
My writing has been published in the Journal of the Early Republic, The Washington Post, The Toronto Star, TIME, The Chronicle Herald, Inside Higher Ed, The Conversation, Nursing Clio, and American Revolutions. I have appeared as a guest on BBC Radio, CBC Radio, CBC News, CTV News, and several podcasts.