Molly Perry

Bio

Molly Perry is a tenured Associate Professor of History and Geography at the University of the Virgin Islands.  At UVI, Molly teaches courses on Caribbean history and geography applying an interdisciplinary approach to encourage student research on central issues of the region’s development and people over time. 

At the University of the Virgin Islands, Molly has received several grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, National Science Foundation, and Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands to implement community-based experiential learning throughout the Social Science and Humanities Curriculum.  She has developed a grant-funded Oral History project placing her undergraduate students in the vital role of preserving and promoting the Virgin Islands unique history, cultures, and languages.  

Molly’s research explores dynamics of protest in port towns during the imperial crisis from 1764-1776, highlighting the actions of free and enslaved African Americans, sailors and the dockside community, as well as agents and lobbyists.  Through deep archival research, this research hopes to better explain the shifting strategies of dissent at the outset of the American Revolution.

Originally from Louisville, Kentucky, Molly received her B.A. with high honors in history from Middlebury College in Vermont. Following graduation, she spent four years teaching public high school and designing lesson plans to help teachers incorporate primary sources into the classroom. Passionate about public history, she has interned and volunteered at the National Archives and Records Administration, the Vermont Historical Society, and the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. As a graduate student at the College of William and Mary, Molly remained committed to excellence as a scholar and instructor, receiving the John E. Selby Graduate Teaching Award.  Molly taught at Christopher Newport University, supervising the Master of Arts in Teaching program instructing and supervising aspiring secondary social studies teachers. 

When not in the archives or teaching, Molly can be found on a sailboat or near the water.