News

On December 26, 1862, in Mankato, Minnesota, 38 Dakota men were hanged by the U.S. government, the largest mass execution in American history, following the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862, a conflict stemming from broken treaty promises and starvation, with President Abraham Lincoln ultimately approving the executions despite commuting most of the 303 death sentences given after hasty military trials. 

• Broken Promises: The war began after the U.S. failed to deliver food and supplies promised to the Dakota people, leading to widespread hunger and desperation.
• Conflict Erupts: A trader's callous remark ("If they are hungry, let them eat grass") fueled unrest, leading to violence between Dakota warriors and settlers.
• Aftermath: After the six-week conflict, hundreds of Dakota were imprisoned, and a military commission sentenced over 300 to death in rushed trials. 

• Lincoln's Intervention: President Lincoln reviewed the cases, pardoning most but approving 39 executions (one later reprieved), under pressure from Minnesotans demanding harsher punishment.
• Public Spectacle: The hangings occurred on a specially built scaffold before thousands of spectators, with soldiers guarding the prisoners.
• Dakota Resistance: The condemned men sang a Dakota song and linked arms as the platform was dropped.
• Post-Execution: Bodies were quickly taken for medical study, and the event left deep, lasting wounds.