Grant's world tour coincided with the first stirrings of American imperialism abroad, and it's interesting to compare the two: during his travels Grant develope

Grant's world tour coincided with the first stirrings of American imperialism abroad, and it's interesting to compare the two: during his travels Grant developed a deep antipathy to European colonialism, was convinced that America's future lay in developing trade and cordial diplomatic relations with Asia, and even helped -- at the request of the two parties -- broker a treaty between Japan and China over the Ryukyu islands. Had Grant been nominated again in 1880, we might have had a very different US foreign policy going into the 20th century.