I am a PhD Candidate in history with Ken Lipartito as my advisor. My research focuses on the Atlantic economy and capitalism in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century. My dissertation examines a Scottish trading firm that conducted the Florida ‘Indian Trade’ on behalf of the Spanish government. The firm’s monopoly relied on African slave labor to maintain its exclusive control of a network of Native American contacts. This topic developed from previous research in the Spanish Archives in Seville, Madrid, and Simancas. I hold a BA in Political Science from The Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina and an MLA in Florida Studies from University of South Florida. I currently teach at American History at Ransom Everglades School in Miami, Florida and have been an educator for 15 years.