Matthew Karp

About the Author

Matthew Karp is a historian and scholar whose work illuminates the intricate intersections of slavery, power, and American diplomacy in the antebellum era. A professor of history at Princeton University, Karp draws on meticulous archival research to challenge conventional narratives, revealing how Southern slaveholders shaped U.S. foreign policy to expand and protect their interests across the hemisphere. His acclaimed book, This Vast Southern Empire: Slaveholders at the Helm of American Foreign Policy, offers a provocative reinterpretation of the nation's imperial ambitions, blending rigorous analysis with vivid storytelling to underscore the enduring legacies of racial capitalism in American history. Karp's scholarship continues to influence debates on the origins of U.S. global dominance and the moral underpinnings of its early expansionism.