UR history professor to complete book on the roots of U.S. deportation through Library of Congress fellowship

Samantha Seeley, assistant professor of history at the University of Richmond, has been awarded a Kluge Fellowship from The John W. Kluge Center at the Library of Congress for her book, “Race and Removal in the Early American Republic.”

“This book serves as a counterpoint to the celebrations of freedom of movement after the American Revolution by investigating the roots of removal in the United States,” said Seeley. “My work asks why the project of creating the United States was carried out in exclusionary terms. In doing so, I hope to contribute to a pressing contemporary national debate about removal.”

During the nine-month fellowship, Seeley will work in the Library of Congress’ American Colonization Society collection to research and complete the final two chapters of her book. She also plans to use the Law Library and the collections in the Geography and Maps division to aid with revisions.

Seeley has taught at the University of Richmond since 2014.

For more information on The John W. Kluge Center at the Library of Congress visit https://www.loc.gov/programs/john-w-kluge-center/chairs-fellowships/kluge-fellowships/.

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