Maj. Zachary Deibel, Ph.D. - Virginia Military Institute
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Maj. Zachary Deibel, Ph.D.

Maj. Zachary Deibel, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

Office: 327 Scott Shipp Hall

Phone: 540-464-7085

Email: deibelz@vmi.edu

Fields: Colonial America, American Revolution, Atlantic World

Honors and Awards

  • Research Fellowship, The David Center for the American Revolution at the American Philosophical Society, 2025
  • Library Research Fellowship, The American Revolution Institute of the Society of the Cincinnati, 2025
  • Graduate Student Excellence Award for Teaching, Binghamton University Graduate School, 2023
  • Lapidus Predoctoral Fellowship, Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture, 2022
  • James Madison Fellowship, James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation, 2014

Assistant professor Zachary W. Deibel specializes in early American history. At VMI, he teaches the two semester US History survey and courses on Colonial America, the American Revolution, the Atlantic World, and the Age of Revolutions. Deibel earned his bachelor’s degree from American University before teaching high school social studies for seven years, during which time he earned his master’s degree from Arkansas State University. He subsequently received his doctoral degree from Binghamton University.

Deibel’s research explores the histories of learning and politics in early America. He has published articles, essays, and blog posts about the politicization of education in early America, and his current book manuscript investigates how conflicts over learning about politics and society caused and sustained the American Revolution. He is also an active participant in the History of Education Society and the Society for Historians of the Early American Republic.

At VMI, Deibel serves as the co-advisor of the Virginia History Society and is currently directing undergraduate honors theses on topics related to the American Revolution and the Atlantic World.

Courses Taught

The Age of Revolutions
The American Revolution
The Atlantic World
Colonial America
The History of the United States I and II

Publications

Articles

  • “‘Let Us Avoid that Infernal Wisdom’: Learning and State Formation in Eighteenth-Century New York.” New York History 105, no. 2 (2025): 1-26.
  • “Engaging with the New York State Regents Exam’s Civic Engagement Essay,” A “Teach New York” Featured Article, New York History, 103, no. 2 (2022): 381-388.