Scott Gac is a Professor of History at Trinity College. He teaches courses on American history, race, and cultural memory, often focusing on the nineteenth century. From 2013 to 2023, he directed Trinity’s undergraduate and graduate programs in American Studies, overseeing curriculum, lectures, working groups, and public outreach. He also co-directs Trinity’s Primus Project, a research-driven, community-based initiative that tells a fuller story of Trinity’s past by examining the institution’s historical entanglements with slavery and white supremacy.

He is the author of Born in Blood: Violence and the Making of America (Cambridge University Press, 2024) and Singing for Freedom (Yale University Press, 2007), and co-editor of the forthcoming Routledge Handbook of American Violence. His public scholarship includes expert commentary for Smithsonian Magazine, C-SPAN, Minnesota Public Radio, and Voice of America.

In spring 2015, Singing for Freedom was staged in a series of performances by the Rose Ensemble in St. Paul, Minnesota. Professor Gac is a graduate of Columbia University, The Juilliard School, and The Graduate Center at CUNY. Find out more about his recent talks and book news at scottgac.com.