He received his PhD in history from the University of Maryland in 2002. He started at BYU in fall 2003 after a year at Eastern Michigan University. He teaches a variety of courses on the history of slavery, early America, and Britain. He has published articles in a variety of journals of national and international reach. He has written and co-edited books including Apostle of Union: A Political Biography of Edward Everett; Slavery and Politics in the Early American Republic; Massachusetts and the Civil War: The Commonwealth and National Disunion; and Contesting Slavery: The Politics of Bondage and Freedom in the New American Nation. His current book projects include an edition of John Quincy Adams’ diary focused on slavery and politics. He lives in Springville with his wife Stacie and daughters Emily (born 1999), Hannah (born 2001), and Rachel (born 2006).