Politics | Page 97

Ho-Chunk and Long Prairie, 1846–1855

In 1848 the U.S. government removed the Ho-Chunk (Winnebago) from their reservation in the northeastern part of Iowa to Long Prairie in Minnesota Territory. The Ho-Chunk found the land at Long Prairie a poor match for their needs as farmers. In 1855 they were moved again, this time to a reservation in southern Minnesota.

Governor William Marshall

Oil on canvas painting of William Rainey Marshall, 1881.

Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Senate of Minnesota

Black and white photo print on paper of Governor William Marshall and the Minnesota State Senate, 1868.

Hanford L. Gordon

Black and white photograph of Hanford L. Gordon, c.1867.

Black and white photo print of Governor William Marshall and the House of Representatives, 1868.

Governor Marshall and the Minnesota House of Representatives

Black and white photo print on paper of Governor William Marshall and the Minnesota House of Representatives, 1868.

Convention of Colored Citizens program cover

Proceedings of the Convention of Colored Citizens of the State of Minnesota program, 1869. This program was presented at the first political convention black Minnesotans held after gaining the right to vote. The celebration held on January 1, 1869, in St. Paul also marked the creation of the Sons of Freedom, the first African American civil rights group in Minnesota.

African American Suffrage in Minnesota, 1868

From their state's admission to the Union until the mid-1860s, a majority of Minnesotans advocated the abolition of slavery in the South. African American suffrage, however, did not enjoy the same support. Minnesota's African American citizens paid taxes, fought in wars, and fostered their communities. But they could not vote, hold political office, or serve on juries. This continued until 1868, when an amendment to the state's constitution approved suffrage for all non-white men. The amendment did not apply to African American women, however, who continued to be disenfranchised in Minnesota and the rest of the United States.