- On December 26, 1862, the U.S. government hanged 38 Santee men in the largest mass execution in American history, due to their actions in Minnesota’s Dakota War.
- The war was caused by the U.S. government’s failure to provide the food promised to the Santees by treaty, and settlers’ fury at the Santees’ attempt to reclaim their land.
- President Abraham Lincoln refused to sign off on the executions of 303 Santees convicted by a military tribunal, pardoning 265 of them, but the 38 convicted of murder or rape against civilians were hanged.
- The aftermath of the hangings led to the development of the Lieber Code, which set out rules for wartime, and the Hague Conventions of the turn of the century.
Click HERE for original. Published December 26, 2022
