Wake Forest University History Department

Check out the Spring 2026 History Department newsletter to learn more about department happenings and faculty and student accomplishments.

Spring 2025 Newsletter Sharing the successes of our faculty, students, and alumni, along with events and other news worth celebrating. Suggestions or submissions are welcome at [email protected]. Submission does not guarantee inclusion.

Join us on Tuesday, December 2, from 5-6:30 pm for a lecture by Dr. Richard Bell on “The American Revolution and the Fate of the World."
Location: ZSR Auditorium (Room 404)

When we think of the American Revolution, we picture 13 colonies squaring off against the British Crown in a spirited bid for independence. But this version of the story is only half the truth—and perhaps not even the most interesting half.

In his forthcoming book and this public lecture, historian and author Richard Bell invites us to rediscover the Revolution as a world war that unleashed chaos, opportunity, and transformation across six continents—from the sugar fields of the Caribbean to the court of the King of Mysore, from refugee camps on the Canadian frontier to political uprisings in Sierra Leone and Peru—and traces the far-flung reverberations of the war through the lives of the people it displaced, empowered, or destroyed.

This event is sponsored by the Department of History at Wake Forest University

A new article in The Conversation by Susanna Ashton (Clemson) and Mollie Barnes (USC Beaufort) explores a staircase from Edenton tied to Harriet Jacobs’s enslavement, on display at the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts in Winston Salem, NC. Retired Wake Forest University historian Anthony Parent has been central in bringing this staircase to public attention, ensuring Jacobs’s story is remembered through scholarship and community outreach.

A staircase in a small, decorative arts museum tells a harrowing story of terror, abuse and enslavement The staircase was originally acquired due to its craftsmanship. Only later did scholars realize that it was where Harriet Jacobs suffered abuse at the hands of her enslaver.

Congratulations to Professor Guy Emerson Mount, the winner of the 2024 George and Ann Richards Prize for the best article published in The Journal of the Civil War Era in 2024! The article, “Shall I Go? Black Colonization in the Pacific, 1840-1914” appeared in the December 2024 special issue, Black Internationalism in the Era of Emancipation, guest edited by Brandon R. Byrd.

Click on the below link to read more about the award and Professor Mount's article. The prize committee praised it for creating “an innovative historical arc that illuminates how white state crafters sought to tackle the problem of emancipation through colonization.”

Announcing the Winner of the 2024 George and Ann Richards Prize - George and Ann Richards Civil War Era Center Guy Emerson Mount has won the $1,000 George and Ann Richards Prize for the best article published in The Journal of the Civil War Era in 2024. The article, “Shall I Go? Black Colonization in the Pacific, 1840-1914” appeared in the December 2024 special issue, Black Internationalism in the Era of...

Join the History Department on Wed., September 10th from 1-4 pm for our Faculty & Student Coffee Break. Stop by the lounge for a few minutes to chat with profs and enjoy some Dough-Joe's donuts and coffee.

As Wake Forest celebrates the 2025 Commencement, we want to take a moment to celebrate all the History Majors and Minors who are graduating today. Congratulations! We are proud of you, of the milestone you have reached - and wish you all the best in your next adventures!

PS: Stay in touch, let us know where life takes you.

Congratulations to WFU-History alumna, Kara Peruccio, on her Jeopardy win last night!

University of Maine professor lands her 'Jeopardy!' dream spot Kara Peruccio, a UMaine professor, will appear on "Jeopardy!" on May 9, fulfilling a lifelong dream.

TODAY! Join us between 1 & 4pm for some coffee and dough-joes. We look forward to seeing you in the History lounge in Tribble for our regular Faculty-Student Coffee Break.

TODAY at 5PM!
Join us for the annual Forrest W. Clonts lecture delivered by Dr. Ari Kelman, Chancellor's Leadership Professor of History at the University of California, Davis.

The talk, entitled “‘A Bloodless Revolution’: How the Civil War Sesquicentennial Helped Recast Public Memory,” will discuss three high-profile public history projects that played out during the 150th anniversary of the Civil War: The New York Times’s “Disunion” series, Ta-Nehisi Coates’s writing at The Atlantic, and the National Park Service’s effort to establish a Reconstruction Era Historical Park. Kelman will suggest that these projects helped to recast the way the Civil War is remembered, bringing insights from the academy to the public and opening up a broader and more inclusive story of the conflict’s causes and consequences.

Reception will follow, the event is open to the public.

Welcome New Majors and Minors - or all of you who are History minor/major curious.

Join us for a welcome reception on Monday, March 24, 4:30-5:30pm in the Tribble lobby. We look forward to meeting you there!

Just a reminder to SAVE THE DATE for out annual Clonts lecture!
March 27 @ 5PM at the Annenberg Forum. We look forward to seeing you there!

Save the date!

Join us on March 27, 2025, for our annual Forrest W. Clonts lecture! The talk will be delivered by Dr. Ari Kelman, Chancellor's Leadership Professor of History at the University of California, Davis.

The talk, entitled “‘A Bloodless Revolution’: How the Civil War Sesquicentennial Helped Recast Public Memory,” will discuss three high-profile public history projects that played out during the 150th anniversary of the Civil War: The New York Times’s “Disunion” series, Ta-Nehisi Coates’s writing at The Atlantic, and the National Park Service’s effort to establish a Reconstruction Era Historical Park. Kelman will suggest that these projects helped to recast the way the Civil War is remembered, bringing insights from the academy to the public and opening up a broader and more inclusive story of the conflict’s causes and consequences.

The event is open to the public!

Save the date!

Join us on March 27, 2025, for our annual Forrest W. Clonts lecture! The talk will be delivered by Dr. Ari Kelman, Chancellor's Leadership Professor of History at the University of California, Davis.

The talk, entitled “‘A Bloodless Revolution’: How the Civil War Sesquicentennial Helped Recast Public Memory,” will discuss three high-profile public history projects that played out during the 150th anniversary of the Civil War: The New York Times’s “Disunion” series, Ta-Nehisi Coates’s writing at The Atlantic, and the National Park Service’s effort to establish a Reconstruction Era Historical Park. Kelman will suggest that these projects helped to recast the way the Civil War is remembered, bringing insights from the academy to the public and opening up a broader and more inclusive story of the conflict’s causes and consequences.

The event is open to the public!