Will Governor Pawlenty Negotiate Better than Governor Ramsey Did with Our Indian Tribes?
The sovereignty to Indian nations was guaranteed by the courts and Congress to American Indians as a condition of signing treaties. President George Washington insisted that “Treaties with tribes ought to be regarded as binding contracts, whose jurisdiction should not be compromised.” President Washington believed, “A more coercive policy of outright confiscation would constitute a moral failure that would stain the character of the nation.” American Indians are the survivors of deception, land loss and economic decline. Poverty on reservations in Minnesota has contributed to conflicts in tribal politics and difficult lives. In his dealings with the tribes Governor Pawlenty needs to remember his Minnesota history. Alexander Ramsey came first as the territorial governor and at the same time, as superintendent of Indian affairs. In 1851, Ramsey served as a commissioner to negotiate treaties with the Dakota selling large areas of Minnesota land for white settlement. This sale opened the l
