Holly A. Rine, Ph.D.

I received my B.A. in History from Berea College in Berea, Kentucky. I then earned an M.A. in History and Historic Preservation from Middle Tennessee State University. After working as a professional Historic Preservationist for a few years I decided to work towards my Ph.D., which I earned in 2004 from the University of New Hampshire. In addition to the World Civilizations and American History surveys, I will be developing and teaching courses on Colonial America and Revolutionary America as well as electives and seminars on Native American History. In these courses I try to challenge students to explore the vast diversity of peoples, experiences and perspectives in colonial and early America. My research explores intercultural contact in the Hudson River Valley in the 17th century and connects various events in the Hudson Valley such as the Peach War of 1655 and the Esopus Wars of 1658 and 1663 with events removed from the region, such as Bacon’s Rebellion, Metacom’s War and the Third Anglo­Dutch War in the 1670s. By making these connections, I demonstrate how seemingly localized struggles for power had far reaching consequences including the creation of a new diplomatic landscape of European and Indian affairs that was centered at Albany . In my interpretations of these cross­ cultural experiences, I maintain a focus on the active roles and motivations of the various American Indian groups who helped to shape the experiences and development of 17th century North America.