Dr. Nicholas Pruitt

Biography

Nicholas Pruitt is an Assistant Professor at the University of Cambridge’s Faculty of History, specializing in Post-1800 History. He completed his MA in Church-State Studies and PhD in History at Baylor University. His research interests focus on U.S. culture, politics, and religion, particularly during the twentieth century. Pruitt’s notable work includes the book "Open Hearts, Closed Doors: Immigration Reform and Waning Mainline Protestantism" (NYU Press, 2021), which examines how white mainline Protestants influenced immigration and refugee resettlement from the 1920s to the 1960s. He argues that these groups both contributed to and reflected the struggles of reconciling American pluralism with an enduring nativism and xenophobia. His current research project investigates the emergence of Christian nationalism during the early Cold War, exploring how anti-communist sentiment reinforced the belief in America as a Christian nation. Pruitt's teaching includes supervising undergraduate dissertations and offering lectures on important themes in American History.

Research Interests