Joseph P. Slaughter

Joseph P. Slaughter is an Assistant Professor of History at Wesleyan University, holding a Ph.D. from the University of Maryland, College Park, and a BS in History from the United States Naval Academy. Prior to Wesleyan, he served as a C-2A Greyhound pilot and spent nine years as a Permanent Military Instructor in the Naval Academy Department of History teaching early American and world history courses.

Education:

• Ph.D., University of Maryland, College Park
• BS in History, United States Naval Academy

Slaughter specializes in how religious identities shape American economic and military decisions, with research spanning American religion, capitalism, technology, and war. His award-winning book Faith in Markets: Christian Capitalism in the Early American Republic examines religious businesses' influence on 19th-century market development. He teaches innovative courses like Religion and War in Early America and Schemers and Redeemers: Capitalism and Religion in the Early Republic, using Reacting to the Past exercises such as Forest Diplomacy to connect historical themes to contemporary issues through active student engagement.

Recognized as an expert on American evangelicalism, Slaughter delivers lectures at venues including the Smithsonian Associates and Independence Square while appearing on podcasts and addressing churches and civic clubs.

His teaching focuses on undergraduate mentorship through course instruction, though specific graduate advisees and research grants are not documented in available sources. Slaughter maintains active scholarly engagement through public lectures and media appearances while developing pedagogical approaches that bridge historical analysis with modern contexts.