Paul Polgar

Dr. Paul Polgar is an Adjunct Instructor in the Department of History at the University of Mississippi, affiliated with the College of Liberal Arts. He teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in U.S. history through 1877, American slavery, race, emancipation, and historiography.

His research focuses on slavery and emancipation in the United States, particularly the first and second emancipations, abolition movements, race and citizenship, political culture, and African American history. He emphasizes the long struggle for inclusion in the American body politic and the role of Black and white coalitions in early abolitionism.

The themes of his recent publications reflect a deep engagement with early American political discourse, constitutional development, Black rights activism, and the ideological roots of Reconstruction. His work spans journals in early American history, African American studies, and political culture, showing a consistent focus on how race, rights, and republicanism shaped U.S. democracy.

Scientific Awards and Fellowships:

• Finalist for the Harriet Tubman Prize
• Fellow, Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture
• Fellow, American Antiquarian Society
• Fellow, Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
• Fellow, New-York Historical Society
• Fellow, The Library Company of Philadelphia
• Fellow, Massachusetts Historical Society

Dr. Polgar has secured significant research support from leading historical institutions. While no formal advisees are listed, his involvement in graduate seminars and research supervision suggests mentorship activity. He is currently working on a second book, An Abolition Peace: Black Rights, the Union Cause, and the Rise of Radical Reconstruction, and co-editing Beyond 1619: The Atlantic Origins of American Slavery.

He is associated with no named lab or research team, but his work is deeply embedded in early American historical scholarship and transnational slavery studies.