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Sky Blue Waters | Scheming and Backstabbing In Minnesota (Alexander Ramsey, Part Two)
In 1849, a scattered group of settlers and fur traders were granted permission by the U.S. Congress to organize themselves as a political territory. They chose a name for this new territory from a phrase used by its Dakota inhabitants--a name translated variously as "land where the water reflects the clouds," or "land of cloudy lakes," or "sky blue waters"--Mni Sota.
In this frontier on the borderlands, where nearly every U.S. citizen was wrapped up in a world of liquor smuggling, embezzlement, illegal enslavement, and even murder, a strapping young politician from the hills of Pennsylvania was ordered to whip the vagabonds of Minnesota Territory into a permanent political base for his party, which had never once held power out in those borderlands. His name was Alexander Ramsey. An orphaned carpenter and schoolteacher who taught himself law and then worked tirelessly to serve the Whig party, Ramsey became one of the youngest and most reliable Congressmen. Upon being named Governor of Minnesota Territory, he was quickly forced to learn the skills necessary to wrangle the complicated world of Minnesota politics--and the compromises he would need to make along the way.
Alexander Ramsey was Minnesota Territory's first governor. He was a congressman, a senator and a secretary of war. He oversaw forced removals and executions. He helped orchestrate three wars. And along the way, he lived a high-octane political thriller of a life filled with backstabbing, unlikely alliances, and tragedy.
In this episode, we lay out the world of Minnesota politics as Alexander Ramsey learned how to survive as the young territory's first governor.
Subscribe for more on YouTube: www.youtube.com/c/the1855historyteam
Become a Patron and get exclusive content: www.patreon.com/1855History
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In 1849, a scattered group of settlers and fur traders were granted permission by the U.S. Congress to organize themselves as a political territory. They chose a name for this new territory from a phrase used by its Dakota inhabitants--a name translated variously as "land where the water reflects the clouds," or "land of cloudy lakes," or "sky blue waters"--Mni Sota.
In this frontier on the borderlands, where nearly every U.S. citizen was wrapped up in a world of liquor smuggling, embezzlement, illegal enslavement, and even murder, a strapping young politician from the hills of Pennsylvania was ordered to whip the vagabonds of Minnesota Territory into a permanent political base for his party, which had never once held power out in those borderlands. His name was Alexander Ramsey. An orphaned carpenter and schoolteacher who taught himself law and then worked tirelessly to serve the Whig party, Ramsey became one of the youngest and most reliable Congressmen. Upon being named Governor of Minnesota Territory, he was quickly forced to learn the skills necessary to wrangle the complicated world of Minnesota politics--and the compromises he would need to make along the way.
Alexander Ramsey was Minnesota Territory's first governor. He was a congressman, a senator and a secretary of war. He oversaw forced removals and executions. He helped orchestrate three wars. And along the way, he lived a high-octane political thriller of a life filled with backstabbing, unlikely alliances, and tragedy.
In this episode, we lay out the world of Minnesota politics as Alexander Ramsey learned how to survive as the young territory's first governor.
Subscribe for more on YouTube: www.youtube.com/c/the1855historyteam
Become a Patron and get exclusive content: www.patreon.com/1855History
Follow on Facebook: www.facebook.com/1855Faribault/