David Wilkie
M.A. Student
Advisor
Dr. Ronald Johnson
Education
B.A. in History, Erskine College, Due West, SC
B.A. in Bible & Religion, Erskine College, Due West, SC
Research Interests
My research is broadly focused on Early America and race, culture, and religion in the U.S. South. It is particularly focused on enslaved religion in the Antebellum South. It explores the ways in which white enslavers used the Christianization of enslaved individuals as a means of control and as justification for the institution of slavery, especially in the 1830s and 1840s when the concept of paternalism and the moralistic defense of slavery was at its strongest. It also explores the ways in which enslaved individuals bypassed the attempts of their enslavers to use Christianity as a means of control, forging their own faith in and practice of the Christian religion.
Selected Publications
- “The True Legacy of Stono: How the Stono Rebellion of 1739 Changed South Carolina,” Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History. Vol. 14, Issue 2. Fall 2024.
Selected Activities
Awards/Grants/Fellowships
- Dean’s Honors, Erskine College, Due West, SC
Recent Presentations
- “The True Legacy of the Stono Rebellion,” South Carolina Historical Association Annual Meeting, March 30, 2024.