MSU's Lincoln settles into a permanent home

Aug. 17—Minnesota State University's statue of Abraham Lincoln — considered by some "the beloved symbol of the College" and by others a constant reminder to Native American students of "the man who massacred your people" — is in its new home on campus.

MSU President Edward Inch announced Tuesday the opening of a new exhibit space for the 96-year-old Lincoln statue in the university's Memorial Library following years of sometimes contentious debate about the monument.

Inch said the selected location was ideal — spacious enough to allow multiple panels of historical context, expandable to allow organized group discussions, quiet enough for students or other visitors to contemplate complex questions and surrounded by materials devoted to understanding the history of Minnesota and the United States.

"The place we had in the student union was not conducive to having any form of meaningful discourse," Inch said of the noisy, heavily traveled corridor in the Centennial Student Union that was Lincoln's previous home.

That spot, which had just a single poster attempting to describe Lincoln's complicated legacy, prompted calls for the statue's removal.

"The statue is a reminder that I don't belong here," MSU undergraduate Marilyn Allen told the student newspaper 18 months ago. "... Imagine walking around your campus and seeing a statue of the man that massacred your people and feeling that hurt every day."

As the president of the Native American Association, Allen's view of Lincoln is centered on his role in the hanging of 38 Dakota men in Mankato in the largest mass execution in American history following the U.S-Dakota War of 1862. Lincoln authorized the execution of 40 Dakota men out of a list of 303 who had been sentenced to death after a series of hastily arranged trials in Minnesota.

"A lot of people still don't know that," said University Archivist Daardi Mixon. "We've had conversations on campus where many people, it's new to them."

But Lincoln's legacy, of course, is much larger than his decision to commute the executions of 263 Dakota men and authorize the execution of 40. Often listed by historians as one of the nation's greatest presidents, if not the greatest, he was a heroic figure for many Americans for his leadership during the Civil War, his ultimate success in preserving the union and his role in ending slavery.

Even African Americans who understood Lincoln's imperfect record on racial issues recognized his historic importance, said Timothy Berry, associate vice president for faculty affairs and equity initiatives.

"It wasn't so much that they loved Lincoln," Berry said. "We love the fact that he signed the paper so we could be free."

And others did adore Lincoln — and the statue of him that's been a part of a succession of campus buildings since he was gifted by alumni of Mankato State Teacher's College in 1926.

In a very unscientific online poll in The Free Press, 95% of 243 respondents preferred that the statue remain in the student union.

"Just what is wrong with Abe Lincoln?" one respondent wrote. "Leave him alone. (He) did more for African Americans than any other president. Also, I am tired of all the whining of the younger generation. History is what it is."

A Zoom forum conducted by the university on the topic in April of 2021 reflected those strong feelings, said Chris Corley, dean of library and learning and chair of a committee assigned to offer a suggestion on the statue's fate.

"There were very polarizing perspectives," said Corley, who characterized one side as demanding no changes and the other side as insisting on removal of the statue from public display. "Neither of those options really promoted learning, study or inquiry."

The new exhibit, which was peer-reviewed by historians and indigenous scholars from across the country, aims to encourage visitors to think, discuss and do additional research.

For a university, that's the obvious goal, according to Inch.

"It's not to hide things or obscure things," he said.

The exhibit, along with providing facts about Lincoln and his legacy, includes perspectives on him by numerous people. It quotes a report about the statue's move from Old Main to the then-new campus library down Fifth Street in 1958 — named the Lincoln Library to carry on "both the tradition of Lincoln, the man, and 'Old Abe,' the beloved symbol of the College."

Another exhibit quotation comes from one of the Dakota men sentenced to death. In a letter to Chief Wabasha, Hdainyanka suggests that he was innocent of any capital offense but was going to die because he believed in the nation's justice system: "You have deceived me. You told me that if we followed the advice of General Sibley and gave ourselves up to the whites, all would be well; no innocent man would be injured. I have not killed, wounded or injured a white man, or any white persons. And yet today I am set apart for execution and must die in a few days."

And there's the opinion of W.E.B. DuBois in 1922, the year the Lincoln Memorial was dedicated. DuBois noted Lincoln's flaws, but also that he was "big inside" and was able in times of crisis to be "big enough to be inconsistent — cruel, merciful; peace-loving, a fighter; despising Negroes and letting them fight and vote; protecting slavery and freeing slaves. He was a man — a big, inconsistent brave man."

The exhibit, located on the library's second floor, is open to the public during regular library hours.