President Lincoln and the Sioux Indian uprising in Minnesota in 1862

[LincolnToddFan]

Rights-particularly as we understand them today-were mostly limited to people who were male and Anglo-Saxon in 19th century America. Everyone else was at best on very shaky ground.

After all we are discussing a period of history when an entire group of people for over 300 years did not have autonomy over their own bodies and in most cases their minds due to the amount of melanin their skin contained.

The story of the incident of the Sioux uprising and their punishment is a tragic one, but I don't see it as reflecting negatively on AL. He was under considerable pressure from the press and many politicians to carry out summary executions on all 300+ Sioux, and to do so IMMEDIATELY after the uprising. The fact that he took weeks and months to personally and painstakingly review the case of each and one of the accused is itself extraordinary and unprecedented. This was during a time when he was also closely monitoring and managing a civil war with appalling war casualties and recalcitrant generals, an abusive( bordering on treasonous) press, etc.

I can't think of one politician of that time who would have handled the matter better than AL did.

Of course the treatment of the Sioux and that of the assassination conspirators doesn't meet standards of 21st century justice. The racism that was endemic to 19th century society condemned the Sioux. Northern desire for revenge as well as grief-combined with their own culpability- sealed the fate of the conspirators.But unlike AL and the military tribunal of 1865 we have the luxury of over 100 years of hindsight, understanding and what some people call "progress" in which to pronounce judgement upon these people.