Molly Perry

Bio

Molly Perry is currently an Assistant Professor of History and Geography at the University of the Virgin Islands.  At UVI, Molly teaches courses on Caribbean history applying an interdisciplinary approach to encourage student research on central issues of the region’s development and people over time. 

Molly is currently on leave from her position at Christopher Newport University, where she taught courses in the History Department -  including introductory survey courses and upper-level seminars on Comparative Slavery; British Empires, 1500 – Brexit; Riots, Rebellions, and Revolutions: Comparative Revolutions of the Atlantic World, 1765-1850; and Caribbean History and Culture.  At CNU, Molly also supervised the Master of Arts in Teaching program instructing and supervising aspiring secondary social studies teachers.  She assisted in the successful national accreditation of the teacher education program with CAEP in 2016.  

With numerous national and international scholarly presentations, Molly’s research research explores dynamics of protest in port towns during the imperial crisis from 1764-1769, highlighting the actions of free and enslaved African Americans, sailors and the dockside community, as well as agents and lobbyists.  Through deep archival research, this scholarship hopes to better explain the shifting strategies of dissent at the outset of the American Revolution.

Originally from Louisville, Kentucky, Molly received her B.A. with high honors in history from Middlebury College in Vermont. Following graduation, she spent four years teaching public high school and designing lesson plans to help teachers incorporate primary sources into the classroom. Passionate about public history, she has interned and volunteered at the National Archives and Records Administration, the Vermont Historical Society, and the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. As a graduate student at the College of William and Mary, Molly remained committed to excellence as a scholar and instructor, receiving the John E. Selby Graduate Teaching Award.

When not in the archives or reading colonial newspapers, Molly can be found on a sailboat or anywhere near the water.