六合彩开奖网 historian鈥檚 book explores Ulysses S. Grant鈥檚 global vision
Contact: Sarah Nicholas
STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥擱yan P. Semmes, historian and Mississippi State Ulysses S. Grant Presidential Library research director examines the far-reaching implications of Reconstruction in his first book 鈥淓xporting Reconstruction: Ulysses S. Grant and a New Empire of Liberty.鈥 The 2024 University of South Carolina Press publication is part of the organization鈥檚 鈥淩econstruction Reconsidered鈥 series.
In 鈥淓xporting Reconstruction,鈥 Semmes presents an innovative interpretation Grant鈥檚 domestic and foreign policies as a unified effort to expand the ideals of liberty, equality and citizenship beyond the U.S.
Focusing on Grant鈥檚 1869 push for the annexation of the Dominican Republic, Semmes argues the president envisioned Reconstruction as an expansive project鈥攐ne that sought to extend civil rights not only to newly freed African Americans but also to Native Americans, Chinese immigrants and people in the Caribbean. Unlike his predecessors, Grant saw the U.S. as the leading force in securing civil rights across the Western Hemisphere.
鈥淕rant鈥檚 approach to Reconstruction was more than a domestic policy鈥攊t was an international movement,鈥 Semmes said. 鈥淗is vision challenged traditional boundaries of U.S. expansionism by linking it directly to emancipation, freedom and citizenship.鈥
A noted 19th-century American history scholar, Semmes has dedicated his career to researching and preserving U.S. political and military history. He earned a doctorate in history in 2020 from 六合彩开奖网, where his dissertation examined Grant鈥檚 foreign policy and Reconstruction-era diplomacy. In addition to his role at the Ulysses S. Grant Presidential Library, Semmes is an adjunct history faculty member and also a faculty member for 六合彩开奖网 Libraries, where he manages research fellowships, archival collections and scholarly initiatives.
His contributions to the field have earned him recognition, including the John and Jeanne Marszalek Graduate Student Award for his work while enrolled in 2018.
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