Other Minnesotans

The majority of Minnesotans were taken completely by surprise by the Dakota attacks in August, 1862. As reports of violence against European American civilians came in (the accuracy of which was sometimes questioned) panic and fear spread. After the war ended and President Abraham Lincoln commuted the sentences of the majority of condemned Dakota men, many Minnesotans voiced their opinions of the matter. Think about the different perspectives held by contemporary Minnesotans as you read the following excerpts.