22. Why does the Minnesota Historical Society use the term “settlers” to describe people moving into the area now known as Minnesota during the mid-1800s?

 
A settler is a person who settles in a new country or area. MNHS has chosen to use the term “settler” because it is widely used and understood by the public to describe individuals, mostly white people, who moved to Minnesota during the mid-1800s, including immigrants to the United States (people entering the United States from another country), as well as people moving from other states or areas within the U.S.
 
While white people were settling in the Minnesota area during the 1800s and the land was “new” to them, they were not the first people to move to or live in Minnesota. The land had already been home to American Indians for ages.