Peter Simons

Peter Simons is a Lecturer in the Department of History at Hamilton College. His research and teaching focus on environmental history and the history of the United States, particularly examining intersections between agriculture, internationalism, and Cold War dynamics.

• Ph.D., University of Chicago
• M.A., University of Maine-Orono
• M.P.P., University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
• B.A., Calvin College

Simons' scholarship investigates how agricultural practices and rural communities shaped U.S. foreign policy and global environmental discourse during the 20th century. His forthcoming chapter in Global Exchanges explores grassroots environmental diplomacy through the International Farm Youth Exchange, while his 2015 article in Agricultural History analyzes postwar aviation trends in rural America.

At Hamilton, he teaches courses such as Introduction to Environmental History, bridging historical analysis with contemporary environmental challenges. His current book project, Global Heartland: Cultivating the American Century on the Farm, expands these themes by tracing Cold War-era agricultural internationalism's role in shaping U.S. geopolitical influence.