Assignment task:
Source:
The Minnesota Pioneer. Vol 9. St. Paul, Minn. Territory, 30 Sept. 1852. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.
Question 1: Explain why a historian might not think that the Minnesota Pioneer's claims reflect the entire African American experience in Minnesota.
Question 2: Three documents are described below. Explain whether each document could be used instead of the Minnesota Pioneer's claims about the African American population of Minnesota. If the document could not be used to identify the experience of African Americans in Minnesota, explain why not.
a. A speech by Jane Gray Swisshelm on the abolitionist cause in Minnesota.
b. Letters from Freedmen (free African Americans) and former slaves describing their experiences in Minnesota.
c. A letter from one of the White bachelor's who frequent African American run barber shops.