Michael A. Verney

Michael A. Verney is an Associate Professor of History in the Department of History, Philosophy & Religion at Drury University, where he has been a faculty member since 2018 after joining as Assistant Professor.

Education:

• B.A., University of Massachusetts Amherst, 2008
• M.A., University of New Hampshire, 2011
• Ph.D., University of New Hampshire, 2016

His research examines the global history of the early US republic with focus on maritime expansion, encounters, and empire. His acclaimed 2022 monograph A Great and Rising Nation analyzes antebellum US naval exploring expeditions, while his current project investigates Commodore Perry's Japan Expedition and the concurrent North Pacific Exploring Expedition of 1853-1855.

Publications reveal consistent engagement with transnational American history, particularly US interactions in South America and the Indian Subcontinent during the 18th-19th centuries, highlighting intersections of slavery, diplomacy, and cross-cultural encounters in maritime contexts.

Dr. Verney teaches diverse courses in early North American history including piracy, slavery, the Civil War, Revolution, African American history, and US empire. He emphasizes critical reading, research, and writing skills while maintaining a special passion for advising students on academic and public history career paths.