David Silverman

David Silverman is a Professor at The George Washington University where he has taught since 2003. He specializes in Native American history, Colonial America, and American racial history, with particular focus on Wampanoag Indians, colonial interactions, and racial formation. Silverman earned his Ph.D. from Princeton University in 2000.

His research explores the complex relationships between Native American communities and European colonists, examining themes of cultural adaptation, religious conversion, land disputes, and the development of racial ideologies. His work spans from the 17th century through the Revolutionary era, with emphasis on how indigenous communities navigated colonial pressures while maintaining cultural continuity.

Silverman's publications demonstrate a consistent focus on Native American agency in colonial encounters, with recent work examining the historical interpretations of Thanksgiving and decolonizing methodologies in indigenous studies. His scholarship combines rigorous archival research with engagement in contemporary debates about historical memory.

Selected Awards:

• Herbert H. Lehman Prize for Distinguished Scholarship in New York History (2012)
• Douglass Adair Memorial Award (2008)
• Lester J. Cappon Award (2005)
• Erminie Wheeler-Voegelin Prize Finalist (2011)

He advises both undergraduate and graduate students whose work has received multiple honors. As a public historian, Silverman contributes to museum exhibits, legal briefs, and media productions while frequently lecturing on Native American history and colonial legacies.