Ryan P. Semmes
@semmesryan.bsky.social
Historian/Librarian
Archives and Public History
Director of Research, Ulysses S. Grant Presidential Library. Author of "Exporting Reconstruction: US Grant and a New Empire of Liberty"
Just a lad from Flea Bottom.
Archives and Public History
Director of Research, Ulysses S. Grant Presidential Library. Author of "Exporting Reconstruction: US Grant and a New Empire of Liberty"
Just a lad from Flea Bottom.
Reposted by Ryan P. Semmes
i don’t believe in the great man of history theory, but i do kind of believe in a stupid asshole theory of history where one dumb motherfucker ruins things for everyone
May 8, 2025 at 6:56 AM
i don’t believe in the great man of history theory, but i do kind of believe in a stupid asshole theory of history where one dumb motherfucker ruins things for everyone
Reposted by Ryan P. Semmes
Unhappy to confirm that the entire Historical Advisory Committee at the State Department received termination notices this afternoon (myself included). The HAC, set up by Congress, oversees the office that produces the FRUS series. history.state.gov/about/hac/in... 1/
April 30, 2025 at 9:29 PM
Unhappy to confirm that the entire Historical Advisory Committee at the State Department received termination notices this afternoon (myself included). The HAC, set up by Congress, oversees the office that produces the FRUS series. history.state.gov/about/hac/in... 1/
Reposted by Ryan P. Semmes
there’s so much going on here but this is kind of giving the game of racism away that he views canadas border as an “artificially drawn line” but mexicos border must be the tightest, most brutal militarized border on the planet
April 28, 2025 at 2:35 PM
there’s so much going on here but this is kind of giving the game of racism away that he views canadas border as an “artificially drawn line” but mexicos border must be the tightest, most brutal militarized border on the planet
Reposted by Ryan P. Semmes
State offices in Mississippi are closed today to commemorate the men who died fighting the United States government to protect the institution of human slavery. Confederate Memorial Day is a state holiday observed in several southern states.
buff.ly/lNNmBE3
buff.ly/lNNmBE3
Mississippi Holiday Honors Those Who Died Defending Slavery
State offices in Mississippi are closed today to commemorate the men who died fighting the United States government to protect human slavery.
www.mississippifreepress.org
April 28, 2025 at 6:19 PM
State offices in Mississippi are closed today to commemorate the men who died fighting the United States government to protect the institution of human slavery. Confederate Memorial Day is a state holiday observed in several southern states.
buff.ly/lNNmBE3
buff.ly/lNNmBE3
Reposted by Ryan P. Semmes
The U. S. Grant memorial at the base of Capitol Hill was dedicated #otd in 1922 - the 100th anniversary of Grant's birth.
The ceremonies provided a measure of how Americans of the time remembered - and forgot - the Civil War and Reconstruction.🗃️
The ceremonies provided a measure of how Americans of the time remembered - and forgot - the Civil War and Reconstruction.🗃️
April 27, 2025 at 12:48 PM
The U. S. Grant memorial at the base of Capitol Hill was dedicated #otd in 1922 - the 100th anniversary of Grant's birth.
The ceremonies provided a measure of how Americans of the time remembered - and forgot - the Civil War and Reconstruction.🗃️
The ceremonies provided a measure of how Americans of the time remembered - and forgot - the Civil War and Reconstruction.🗃️
Reposted by Ryan P. Semmes
Not only did this president never join the Digital Age. (He doesn’t use e-mail and thinks magazine covers still matter.) He longs for the Gilded Age.
Trump: "You know, our country was the strongest, believe it or not, from 1870 to 1913. You know why? It was all tariff based. We had no income tax." (This is nonsense.)
April 7, 2025 at 9:08 PM
Not only did this president never join the Digital Age. (He doesn’t use e-mail and thinks magazine covers still matter.) He longs for the Gilded Age.
Reposted by Ryan P. Semmes
they want worldwide jim crow
1/ The Trump Administration is seeking to force foreign companies worldwide to ban diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programmes within their firms if they want to do business with the US government. It's an aggressive expansion of its anti-DEI crusade. ⬇️
March 29, 2025 at 1:04 PM
they want worldwide jim crow
Reposted by Ryan P. Semmes
If the White House is insisting that there was no classified or secret information in the Signal chat, does that mean Jeffrey Goldberg can publish it all?
March 25, 2025 at 2:47 PM
If the White House is insisting that there was no classified or secret information in the Signal chat, does that mean Jeffrey Goldberg can publish it all?
Since we've been fighting through my wife's cancer treatment we've been looking for comfort tv. We found Superman & Lois to be fun and funny comfort. Then we got to Season 3...we can't escape cancer stories even in the superhero world.
a man in a superman costume and a woman in a white coat are standing next to each other .
Alt: Superman and Lois Lane are standing next to each other .
media.tenor.com
March 23, 2025 at 6:20 PM
Since we've been fighting through my wife's cancer treatment we've been looking for comfort tv. We found Superman & Lois to be fun and funny comfort. Then we got to Season 3...we can't escape cancer stories even in the superhero world.
Welp, at least I was right about McNeese beating Clemson. Geaux Cowboys!
March 21, 2025 at 1:09 PM
Welp, at least I was right about McNeese beating Clemson. Geaux Cowboys!
Reposted by Ryan P. Semmes
The Pentagon has turned Medal of Honor recipient, Sgt. William Carney, who served in the 54th Massachusetts Regiment, into a 404-Error. 🗃️ taskandpurpose.com/news/soldier...
Medal of Honor recipient depicted in movie 'Glory' erased from Pentagon website
Denzel Washington reenacted the heroics of Sgt. William Carney in the movie "Glory." The Pentagon removed a story about him for DEI reasons.
taskandpurpose.com
March 20, 2025 at 10:18 PM
The Pentagon has turned Medal of Honor recipient, Sgt. William Carney, who served in the 54th Massachusetts Regiment, into a 404-Error. 🗃️ taskandpurpose.com/news/soldier...
I bet he shot an 18 to set the course record!
March 18, 2025 at 9:03 PM
I bet he shot an 18 to set the course record!
Reposted by Ryan P. Semmes
This isn’t just anti-DEI, removing people they think were celebrated only because of their color or gender. It is saying that no matter how truly important one’s achievements, if you aren’t a white male you don’t matter. www.axios.com/local/salt-l...
Navajo Code Talkers get "DEI" label as military info disappears under Trump order
Also vanishing: The Civil War regiment from "Glory," women pilots from WWII and a Medal of Honor winner.
www.axios.com
March 18, 2025 at 1:23 AM
This isn’t just anti-DEI, removing people they think were celebrated only because of their color or gender. It is saying that no matter how truly important one’s achievements, if you aren’t a white male you don’t matter. www.axios.com/local/salt-l...
Reposted by Ryan P. Semmes
Imagine watching Office Space and thinking these guys are the heroes.
March 15, 2025 at 11:03 PM
Imagine watching Office Space and thinking these guys are the heroes.
Reposted by Ryan P. Semmes
A massive tornado just went over the town grid of Taylorsville, Mississippi.
The meteorologist on TV became emotional when he saw the radar image, said a prayer on air for them and said he fears Smith County search and rescue will have a massive effort ahead of them.
The meteorologist on TV became emotional when he saw the radar image, said a prayer on air for them and said he fears Smith County search and rescue will have a massive effort ahead of them.
March 15, 2025 at 7:13 PM
A massive tornado just went over the town grid of Taylorsville, Mississippi.
The meteorologist on TV became emotional when he saw the radar image, said a prayer on air for them and said he fears Smith County search and rescue will have a massive effort ahead of them.
The meteorologist on TV became emotional when he saw the radar image, said a prayer on air for them and said he fears Smith County search and rescue will have a massive effort ahead of them.
Reposted by Ryan P. Semmes
only segregationists get mad about “hands of different skin tones” on display in a school www.idahostatesman.com/news/local/e...
March 15, 2025 at 1:31 PM
only segregationists get mad about “hands of different skin tones” on display in a school www.idahostatesman.com/news/local/e...
Reposted by Ryan P. Semmes
whiners: white boys have no one to look up to from American history, because of woke
Thaddeus Stevens: “Free every slave, slay every traitor, burn every rebel mansion”
Thaddeus Stevens: “Free every slave, slay every traitor, burn every rebel mansion”
March 11, 2025 at 10:38 PM
whiners: white boys have no one to look up to from American history, because of woke
Thaddeus Stevens: “Free every slave, slay every traitor, burn every rebel mansion”
Thaddeus Stevens: “Free every slave, slay every traitor, burn every rebel mansion”
Reposted by Ryan P. Semmes
Moulton: "Trump thinks if you try to kill cops to overthrow the government and change an election, that's not domestic terrorism, but somehow having a protest in front of a Tesla dealership is? The bottom line with Trump is freedoms and liberties belong to people who agree with him, and that's it."
March 12, 2025 at 2:38 PM
Moulton: "Trump thinks if you try to kill cops to overthrow the government and change an election, that's not domestic terrorism, but somehow having a protest in front of a Tesla dealership is? The bottom line with Trump is freedoms and liberties belong to people who agree with him, and that's it."
Reposted by Ryan P. Semmes
My new article about the Archivist of the US, the National Archives, and the dangers of politicization is now live.
(Note: to report this, I used federal records that should be at #NARA but aren't.)
#Archivist #archivists #archives #records #history #nonpartisan www.thebulwark.com/p/nations-ar...
(Note: to report this, I used federal records that should be at #NARA but aren't.)
#Archivist #archivists #archives #records #history #nonpartisan www.thebulwark.com/p/nations-ar...
March 12, 2025 at 8:14 AM
My new article about the Archivist of the US, the National Archives, and the dangers of politicization is now live.
(Note: to report this, I used federal records that should be at #NARA but aren't.)
#Archivist #archivists #archives #records #history #nonpartisan www.thebulwark.com/p/nations-ar...
(Note: to report this, I used federal records that should be at #NARA but aren't.)
#Archivist #archivists #archives #records #history #nonpartisan www.thebulwark.com/p/nations-ar...
Reposted by Ryan P. Semmes
Civil War Battlefields Are Under Threat. Where is the American Battlefield Trust? 🗃️ open.substack.com/pub/kevinmle...
Civil War Battlefields Are Under Threat. Where is the American Battlefield Trust?
Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie in Charleston has lost three employees.
open.substack.com
March 11, 2025 at 11:20 PM
Civil War Battlefields Are Under Threat. Where is the American Battlefield Trust? 🗃️ open.substack.com/pub/kevinmle...
Reposted by Ryan P. Semmes
Destroying our most precious cultural, environmental, and historic sites does nothing to ‘make America great.’ It only serves to deepen the divide between Americans and deprive us from making meaningful connections with one another through our shared heritage. 🗃️ open.substack.com/pub/kevinmle...
Update on National Park Service Firings and What is Still to Come
It’s been roughly three weeks since the Trump administration fired roughly 1,000 National Park Service sites without warning or cause.
open.substack.com
March 11, 2025 at 2:03 PM
Destroying our most precious cultural, environmental, and historic sites does nothing to ‘make America great.’ It only serves to deepen the divide between Americans and deprive us from making meaningful connections with one another through our shared heritage. 🗃️ open.substack.com/pub/kevinmle...
Reposted by Ryan P. Semmes
Trans people have long warned that most of the victims of anti-trans laws and policies would be cis women and girls who don't have the "right look."
Walmart called the police on a cis-woman using the women's bathroom.
Even after proving she's a woman, "one deputy continued to question her appearance, insisting she 'looked like a man.'"
😡 😡 😡
Even after proving she's a woman, "one deputy continued to question her appearance, insisting she 'looked like a man.'"
😡 😡 😡
Cis woman confronted by police officers in Arizona Walmart restroom for looking too masculine speaks out (exclusive)
“The only men in the women’s restroom were the cops,” Kalaya Morton said.
www.advocate.com
March 8, 2025 at 3:30 AM
Trans people have long warned that most of the victims of anti-trans laws and policies would be cis women and girls who don't have the "right look."
Reposted by Ryan P. Semmes
"Antisemitism in the Oval Office: A confrontation seen with a historian's eye"
snyder.substack.com/p/antisemiti...
snyder.substack.com/p/antisemiti...
Antisemitism in the Oval Office
A confrontation seen with a historian's eye
snyder.substack.com
March 7, 2025 at 9:35 PM
"Antisemitism in the Oval Office: A confrontation seen with a historian's eye"
snyder.substack.com/p/antisemiti...
snyder.substack.com/p/antisemiti...
Reposted by Ryan P. Semmes
This is wonderful news for D.C. 🗃️ www.washingtonian.com/2025/03/04/a...
After Decades, the Full African American Civil War Memorial Museum Is Finally Coming
The finished museum is set to open in July.
www.washingtonian.com
March 5, 2025 at 8:07 PM
This is wonderful news for D.C. 🗃️ www.washingtonian.com/2025/03/04/a...