150 years ago, on December 26, 1862, 38 Dakota men were hung in Mankato, Minnesota. It was the largest mass execution in U.S. history. The men were hung after being convicted by a U.S. military commission for participating in the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862. Originally, 303 were sentenced to death, but President Lincoln commuted the sentences of most of those convicted. The war was waged in the Minnesota River Valley. The Minnesota Historical Society's page on the hangings is
here. The Minneapolis Star Tribune's six-part series on the war is
here. Minnesota Public Radio has an online
photographic display on the war. This American Life's
episode on the war is available through the program's website. Indian Country Today
reports on efforts in Minnesota to remember the war, including a memorial dedicated in Mankato today. Following the war, most Dakota were
expelled from Minnesota.
posted by Area Man
on Dec 26, 2012 -
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