President Lincoln and the Sioux Indian uprising in Minnesota in 1862

[J. Beckert]

It is obvious that Lincoln disagreed and was the voice of reason regarding the initial verdicts. He did the right thing, as the intial response was swift and heavy handed. Hopefully the savages that started the conflict by taking innocent lives were on the gallows when justice was handed down.

My reference to the Rodney King verdict riots and Katrina was to illustrate that acting like savages should not be excused under any circumstances, especially if a class feels wrongful treatment condones it. The American Indians were dealt a bad hand by the U.S. in scores of dealings. It's part of our history and we've learned from it. It's no reason to preach how evil the U.S. is. No other country in the history of the world has done more to address prior wrongs. That's something to be proud of.