Current Perceptions
Despite histories that correspond in a number of ways, the ways in which Ft. Snelling and Guantánamo are conceptualized, interpreted, and perceived are very different. While the perceptions and usages of Fort Snelling are generally positive, patriotic and touristic, Guantánamo is still used as a site of detention, and a highly militarized space.
Without extensive surveys, it’s impossible to gauge exactly how people remember Ft. Snelling and Guantánamo. Still, it is possible to portray the different ways these spaces are remembered. To capture this disparity, we used screenshots of web searches for the two sites, pictured below, as well as narratives from people who have experienced the spaces.
Fort Snelling
Despite some attempts to present a more complex depiction of the site's imperial past, including its history of slavery, detention, and the devastating violence enacted upon Dakota people there, Ft. Snelling is still largely interpreted through the lens of national patriotism. It is not surprising, then, that most Minnesotans maintain a largely positive perception of Ft. Snelling despite its controversial history. As evidenced by the screenshots of searches for Ft. Snelling, the perception of this site remains one of patriotism.
With web searches for Ft. Snelling, the most common themes include the national cemetery, pictures of the exterior of the historic site with U.S. flags waving above, and various shots of interpreters in historical dress at the Fort. The perception of the Fort is patriotic, it is a symbol of American nationalism.
More the disparity in how people remember the Fort is striking:
Historic Ft. Snelling/“A great place to learn”:
“A great place to go to learn about MN history (oldest building in MN is here) and spend time with your family-great for all ages. Plan to spend at least 3+ hours- lots to see and do! I recommend going to the Fort Snelling after dark at least once (it's around Halloween time). Visit the Sutler store and enjoy a root beer while playing a game of checkers. Enjoy the views of the Mississippi River and Minneapolis! In the summer months, the flowers around the fort are in bloom (perfect for pictures).”
“Fort Snelling is not only at the confluence of the Mississippi and Minnesota Rivers, but it is also the confluence of peoples. The histories of the people of Minnesota intersect at the fort and guests can explore these diverse stories within its walls.”
“Explore the lives of the soldiers and civilians who called the fort home, learn about the transformation of the fort throughout its history, hear the silent voices of slaves kept in bondage in a free state, delve into the checkered history of the fort and American Indians, and much much more.”
Historic Ft. Snelling/ Dakota perspectives:
“Unless you have something to offer, in this case truth, unless you have something better to offer, then you cannot judge people. If you give them something better and they refuse it then maybe you have the right to criticize them. This is where we’re at with some people not wanting to see the truth. Do I have the right to criticize them? Probably not because right now I have nothing better to offer them. Those memories are strong on both sides after hundreds of years. Some people want to forget or look at a picture and hope it changes. I have nothing to offer them because that’s within them. That’s their generational memory. That’s something that the Creator caused to bring forward in time so that they would not forget. In the same manner the memories of the Dakota come generation [after] generation [after] generation so that we don’t forget. The reality is that it happened. What we do with that is our own choice.”
“Fort Snelling – the fort itself has a lot to do with us. There are a lot of things that have happened there. For me at the age that I’m at, and the many times that I’ve been there for different occasions – I don’t like the word "occasion," but to be there for commemorations of some of the things that happened there, I’d like to think that Fort Snelling is a part of us, a part of the Dakota people more than what it is. I know that a lot of things were there, but we can share things in that area. We share things in that area because we know a lot of our people lost their lives or suffered there, and when you go there you feel all of the things that have happened there. You feel that and I know it makes me feel sad to think that how could anything like that happen to another race of people, when they are people; they are put on this earth by the creator, and why were they treated the way they were – like we were nothing. Human life; they didn’t look at those people there like human beings; they let them suffer and just die. And was that supposed to be their way of saying, "This is history, we’re doing this, and if these people are going to be in our way, you know, why do we want to spend any time on them?" I always feel that way. I get mixed feelings when I’m there, but I do know that the spirit of our people is all around there. And that’s what makes it a lot easier to go there and to do some of the ceremonies that we do do, and that the run is made from there in December. They run from Fort Snelling in commemoration of those that have gone before. And that takes that edge off. But you stop and think; I still do – I stop and think sometimes, "Why?"
Guantánamo
Like Ft. Snelling, Guantánamo is a military base that has a history of detention. Yet unlike the patriotic sentiment surrounding Ft. Snelling, reports and conceptions of Guantánamo largely surround torture. Part of this is because Guantánamo is still used as a site of detention, unlike Ft. Snelling, but the lack of coverage in terms of other histories of the site as a military base is still important. While the histories of Ft. Snelling as a military base are the main narrative at that site, other histories of Guantánamo are obscured by the remarkable focus on torture and detention. Why then, is a history of violence so important at this site but not at Ft. Snelling? And why are other histories less important here? As evidenced by the screenshots of searches for Guantánamo, the perception of this site remains one of torture and detention.
Web searches for Guantánamo yield themes including detainees, torture, detention, and hunger strikes. Prisoners in orange jumpsuits are by far the most common images. The perception of Guantánamo is most influenced by its use as a detention center.
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