VMI Department of History

VMI Department of History The official page of the Virginia Military Institute Department of History

Last week, over 240 cadets gathered in Gillis Theater to hear from the Honorable Alexander Yui, Taiwan’s Representative ...
09/24/2026

Last week, over 240 cadets gathered in Gillis Theater to hear from the Honorable Alexander Yui, Taiwan’s Representative to the United States. Representative Yui discussed the U.S.-Taiwan security relationship and Taiwan’s perspective on current global security challenges.

Many thanks to VMI’s Office of Global Education, the John A. Adams ’71 Center for Military History and Strategic Analysis, and the Center for Leadership and Ethics for sponsoring such a lively event.

On Saturday, September 19, two faculty advisors and six cadets from the History Department’s Virginia History Society vo...
09/22/2026

On Saturday, September 19, two faculty advisors and six cadets from the History Department’s Virginia History Society volunteered to help James Madison’s Montpelier host its Constitution Day activities. Presidents James Madison and James Monroe were also in attendance, and in remarkably fine fettle!

VHS volunteers helped visitors navigate Montpelier and staffed several stations highlighting the Constitution’s history and importance. At the end of a busy and exciting day, Montpelier’s staff graciously organized a wonderful historical tour of Madison’s family home for VHS faculty and cadets.

Last week, MAJ Webb’s Research Seminar, History of the U.S. Presidency, visited the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library ...
09/21/2026

Last week, MAJ Webb’s Research Seminar, History of the U.S. Presidency, visited the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library and Museum in nearby Staunton, Virginia! Cadets toured Wilson’s birthplace and the museum, then participated in the “Wilson and Diplomacy” program, where they worked directly with primary sources from the Wilson Library’s archives.

One especially interesting find: a photograph that appears to show VMI cadets parading through the streets of Staunton to welcome Wilson following his election as president in 1912.

Many thanks to the staff at the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library, especially Emily Kilgore, for an engaging day of archival research and presidential history.

Constitution Day at VMI, featuring Dr. Francis D. Cogliano! In conversation with LTC Mark Boonshoft, Dr. Cogliano explor...
09/19/2026

Constitution Day at VMI, featuring Dr. Francis D. Cogliano! In conversation with LTC Mark Boonshoft, Dr. Cogliano explored Thomas Jefferson’s place in U.S. history, drawing from his recent book, “Thomas Jefferson Survives: American Independence in His Time and Ours” (with Peter S. Onuf). The discussion was followed by a lively Q&A with cadets and a book signing.

During his visit, Dr. Cogliano also spent time with cadets in the classroom, visiting COL Johnson’s capstone seminar and MAJ Webb’s research seminar to discuss historical research, writing, and the study of the American presidency.

Many thanks to Dr. Cogliano for sharing his time and expertise with our cadets and the VMI community!

Join us tonight for VMI’s Constitution Day Commemoration! The event will begin promptly at 8 PM in Gillis Theater, and i...
09/17/2026

Join us tonight for VMI’s Constitution Day Commemoration! The event will begin promptly at 8 PM in Gillis Theater, and it is open to the public.

Historian Francis D. Cogliano will deliver this year’s lecture, titled “Thomas Jefferson Survives: American Independence in His Time and Ours.”

Join us on Tuesday, September 15, as the Honorable Alexander Yui, Taiwan’s Representative to the United States, discusse...
08/27/2026

Join us on Tuesday, September 15, as the Honorable Alexander Yui, Taiwan’s Representative to the United States, discusses today’s global security challenges from the Taiwanese perspective. Open to the public!

Thank you to the Office of Global Education, the John A. Adams ‘71 Center for Military History and Strategic Analysis, and the Center for Leadership and Ethics for sponsoring the event.

Earlier this week, four of our faculty members took on the first-ever [optional] Faculty/Staff VFT Challenge! MAJ Paul, ...
08/21/2026

Earlier this week, four of our faculty members took on the first-ever [optional] Faculty/Staff VFT Challenge! MAJ Paul, MAJ Webb, COL Johnson, and COL Arndt each easily passed the test, showing that our faculty can meet the same standards our cadets are held to.

The VFT consists of one minute of sit-ups, one minute of push-ups, and a 1.5-mile run around the track.

Is our department the most athletic on Post? We think so. Congrats to all who participated!

Just in time for the 250th anniversary of American independence, VMI History Major Aidan McDowell ‘27 spent a week of hi...
08/06/2026

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 (SHEA...
07/28/2026

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. Semi...
06/26/2026

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!

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