Dr. William Leeman
- Professor
- Program director, Pell honors program
Areas of Expertise
- The American presidency, U.S. military and naval history, the American Revolution and Early Republic, the Civil War, Anglo-American relations, Rhode Island history, providing insight into contemporary political issues based on America’s past
Education
- B.A. in history and secondary education, Providence College (1999)
- M.A. in history, Boston University (2001)
- Ph.D. in United States history, Boston University (2006)
What's My Why?
As a lifelong Rhode Islander, I’m fortunate to have the opportunity to teach in Newport, one of America’s most historic cities. I encourage my students to experience history by visiting historical sites and museums, and I incorporate trips to local sites as part of my courses. I also encourage my students to view the study of history not as a list of names and dates, but rather as an intellectual challenge that broadens their perspective, helps them develop important skills that will contribute to their future professional success, and enables them to become informed and engaged citizens who take their civic responsibilities seriously.
Professional Experience
Before coming to Salve in 2011, I taught American history at the United States Military Academy at West Point for two years. Since arriving at Salve, I was appointed by the governor of Rhode Island to serve on the Newport World Heritage Commission and, in 2017, I was selected by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History and the Council of Independent Colleges to participate in a faculty seminar on the 20th-century American presidency at Stanford University’s Anne T. and Robert M. Bass Center in Washington, D.C. I’ve taught as part of Salve’s study abroad program in Oxford, England, and have served as the director of the University’s Pell Honors Program since 2020.
Media Coverage
C-SPAN BookTV, New Books in Military History Podcast, Bartholomewtown Podcast, WPRO Radio (Providence), WADK Radio (Newport), Providence Journal, Newport Daily News, Newport Life Magazine
Selected Publications
Leeman, William P. The Long Road to Annapolis: The Founding of the Naval Academy and the Emerging American Republic. University of North Carolina Press, 2010.
Hattendorf, John B., and William P. Leeman, editors. Forging the Trident: Theodore Roosevelt and the United States Navy. Naval Institute Press, 2020.
Leeman, William P., Brittany Fox, and Ellen E. Tuttle. “Newport’s New Deal: The Great Depression and the WPA in the City by the Sea.” Newport History, vol. 95, 2021, pp. 1-31.
Leeman, William P. “One Giant Leap: John F. Kennedy, the Apollo Program, and the Political Culture of the New Frontier.” New England Journal of History, vol. 76, 2019, pp. 101-128.
Leeman, William P. “George Bancroft’s Civil War: Slavery, Abraham Lincoln, and the Course of History.” New England Quarterly, vol. 81, 2008, pp. 462-488.