VMI Department of History

Just in time for the 250th anniversary of American independence, VMI History Major Aidan McDowell ‘27 spent a week of his summer furlough at the Library of Virginia researching complex political dynamics of Virginia’s frontier during the Revolution. With support from VMI’s Summer Undergraduate Research Institute, Aidan conducted archival research into the lives and experiences of loyalists in the backcountry to support his honors thesis. From exploring court records from trials of Tories in the region to reading sensationalized accounts of Loyalist conspiracies in the newspapers, Aidan’s project offers a new and fascinating way to think about the everyday political decisions of those who experienced the American Revolutionary era.

VMI was well represented at the recent annual meeting of the Society for Historians of the Early American Republic (SHEAR). LTC Boonshoft co-chaired the program committee, which organized the meeting of 60+ panels and events, and over 500 attendees. VMI sponsored hybrid access to a slate of sessions on American democracy and the Constitution.

The annual meeting also marked the official start of Boonshoft’s term as editor of the society’s journal, The Journal of the Early Republic.

MAJ Deibel also presented as part of a panel entitled “Education in Early America: A State of the Field Discussion

We are thrilled to introduce Fairs, Festivals, and State–Society Relations in the Ottoman Empire, 1876–1908, by Dr. Semih Gökatalay.

Focusing on the reign of Sultan Abdülhamid II, this book examines how trade fairs and religious festivals shaped the evolving relationship between the Ottoman state and its diverse communities. Through case studies from across the empire, it highlights the role of provincial actors, public demands, political negotiation, and local power struggles in transforming public gatherings into dynamic spaces of representation, identity formation, and collective engagement.

An important contribution to the study of late Ottoman social, political, and cultural history, the book offers new insights into how fairs and festivals became performative arenas where state authority, local agency, and public participation intersected.

Congratulations, Dr. Gökatalay!

Check out the recap of the Olmsted trip to France in the News-Gazette! Over spring furlough, eight VMI cadets toured Normandy and Paris as a part of the Olmsted Foundation Undergraduate Program.

They visited Normandy beaches, honored fallen VMI alumni at the American Cemetery, explored Versailles, and shared meals with active-duty Olmsted Scholars studying at the Sorbonne and École de Guerre.

Link to the article, penned by VMI’s Marianne Hause: https://www.thenews-gazette.com/article/14353,commissioning-cadets-explore-la-france

We are thrilled to announce that MAJ Zachary Deibel was recently named a 2026 NAEd/Spencer Postdoctoral Fellow!

The highly competitive fellowship, awarded to just 25 scholars selected from nearly 500 applicants, supports exceptional early-career researchers whose work addresses critical questions in education through funding, mentorship, and professional development.

MAJ Deibel received the fellowship in support of his book project, tentatively titled “Liberty’s Lessons: The Educational Politics of the American Revolution.” His research explores how debates over education and civic learning shaped the American Revolution, revealing how struggles over political authority were also contests over who should learn, what they should learn, and how political ideas were communicated during the founding era.

Please join us in congratulating MAJ Deibel on this outstanding achievement and national recognition!

See the press release here: https://naeducation.org/congratulations-to-the-2026-naed-spencer-fellowship-recipients/

Department of History faculty gearing up for commencement. Watching our history cadets walk across the stage is one of the highlights of every year!

📸: COL Dowling

Congratulations to the VMI Class of 2026! Some highlights from Commencement and Institute Awards.

Last week, the History Department celebrated its May 2026 graduates and this year’s departmental award winners with a luncheon. Congrats to the three cadets recognized for their academic achievements:

1. Aidan McDowell received the Not for Fame or Reward Scholarship.

2. Jack Hansen earned the Garnet Andrews Award, presented for the best paper written by a first classman on a military subject.

3. Colin Nicassio received the Gordon Graham Heiner Award, presented for the best paper written by a cadet on a subject connected with the history or traditions of VMI.

We offer a huge congratulations to all of our graduating cadets!

Highlights from an energetic “Last Day of Class” Debate in HI 300, U.S. Constitutional History with MAJ Mattie Webb. Both course sections came together for a highly competitive mock trial that centered many of the constitutional questions cadets explored throughout the semester. Cadets eagerly stepped into the role of Supreme Court justices, challenged one another’s arguments, and worked through difficult constitutional questions under pressure—all with section bragging rights hanging in the balance!

While only one side emerged victorious, all of the cadets enjoyed competing and thoughtfully engaging with constitutional history on the final day of class. It was a fun (and loud!) way to close out the spring semester.