When I thought about the question Why does history matter? my mind was immediately lled with the events and occurrences I had been learning about in my United States History class. We discussed topics such as the American Revolutionary War all the way to the Vletnam War, major social changes, like the expansion and abolition of slavery, and every president from George Washington to current president Joe Biden. But another topic that is so commonly glazed over or passed by altogether is the original inhabitants of America, the Native Americans. The presence of the Native Americans on this land, speci cally the Dakota in Lake City, has created a lasting impact that helps demonstrate the importance of history and how it reminds us of where we came from.