Louis Riel Legacy

After the capture and surrender of Louis Riel on may 15, 1885, he was charged of high treason back in Regina. The trial began on July,1885.

At Batoche, Riel told the people that no peaceful solution was possible, he believed that the Canadian government wanted to be at war. He concluded his speech with, “Justice commands us to take up arms.” Riel at this point was announcing war with the government. By calling these orders, Riel caused more violence than there should have been. At Duck Lake, five Metis and one First Nations person were killed along with 12 NWMP officers and another 25 were wounded. This battle was seen as the beginning of the Northwest Uprising. All of these battles caused the loss of many lives, which could have been prevented, if a peaceful solution could have been found. Riel led the Metis to continue fighting against their country until they were short of bullets and were forced to surrender. Riel not only acted on his conspiracies against the government, but his conspiracies lead to battles which caused a large loss of

This led the government to view Louis Riel as a national criminal. As a result, Manitoba was established as a province from the Red River settlement, the Manitoba Act was enacted and Riel fled into exile within U.S borders after the execution of Thomas Scott. Overall, he attempted to take a stand against a bureaucracy that threatened the Métis way of life, only to have to escape in fear of being executed.

Moreover, the government’s insufficiency caused Riel to act accordingly. Earlier, it was mentioned that the Canadian government was not authorized to take legal action until December of 1869. Though this was clearly recognized by the government, they sent surveyors in June of 1869 for settlers to live there. The government broke their own laws, hence it proves that Riel, due to the government’s flawed intentions, had to enforce his rule, by stepping on the chains. Unit Two: The Development of Western Canada, on page 36 highlights that in 1882, surveyors came to the Métis peoples North-West Settlements to examine the land once more. The Métis acted quickly and sent 15 petitions to the Canadian government for the rights of their land, none of which were answered. Once again, the government was incapable. The government could have prevented all the troubles, but due to their insufficiency and flawed system, they let the surveyors come onto the land. In addition to this, the government had signed many treaties with the Métis. But, the government, yet again, didn’t keep their word and didn’t follow the laws of giving them what the treaties had promised. To conclude, Riel was compelled to take arms. The lack of control, caused the government to spend millions and ended in destruction. Flashback Canada on page 196 stated, “Some new evidence suggests that the Chief Justice in Manitoba at the time of Riel’s

Louis Riel was a strong and devoted political leader. He was someone who cared greatly for his people, the Metis. He was very persistent in every one of his opinions. He was extremely single-minded and pertinacious which compelled many people to claim that he was insane. He was well-educated but disliked among the British because he of his racial background. Louis Riel was both a hero and a traitor. To the Metis people he was seen as an honorable hero because he protected his people and his land from the British. From the British point of view, he was seen as a threat and a criminal. In my opinion he should be remembered as a hero and should have been found not guilty.

In Canadian history, nationalism and sovereignty tend to be common themes prevalent since Confederation. A well-known example of this in Quebec was during the Quiet Revolution which strengthened the need for change through Premier Lesage’s reforms and in turn, developed a strong sense of nationalism in Quebec. In contrast to beliefs that the rapid modernization of the Quiet Revolution had a positive impact on Quebec, it rather had a negative impact on Quebec and its citizens and identity. The three consequences which arose in Quebec as a result of the revolution are the encouragement of separatism, the elimination of traditional values and roles and the establishment of powerful bureaucratic control. Quebec’s attempt to be more like the

Riel was determined to protect the rights of everyone in the settlement. When the Canadian Party was armed and prepared to attack, he imprisoned them by force. The belligerent Thomas Scott was executed by a majority vote. Then Riel decided to negotiate with the Canadian government, which at first refused to recognize him. Undaunted, the provisional government drafted a proposal for the creation of the province of Manitoba. Unfortunately, the leader of the Canadian Party escaped and reached Ottawa first, spreading prejudicial news of the execution and creating outrage. The delegates from Red River had a hard time getting recognition from Macdonald's government, but eventually their case was heard and agreed upon. The Manitoba Act was created granting land rights, as well as making two official languages and education systems. Overall, the Red River Rebellion was a success, but they could've used more peaceful means when dealing with the Canadian Party, especially since they didn't act beforehand. The Red River Rebellion did not end all of the Metis problems though.

Louis Riel helped set up the Metis National Committee. Later then on November 2, 1869, they seized Upper Fort Garry, which allows them to gain dominance, and negotiate from a position of military strength. On November 16, the Provisional Government was set up. Their government’s goal was to maintain order in the colony during the transition period and to determine the future of union with Canada. The provisional government decided to make a Metis Bill of Rights. In the summer of 1869, the surveyors and William McDougall began dividing the Metis land, without letting them know. Also, Prime Minister Macdonald had sent McDougall instructions not to officially take over Rupert’s Land. To summarize, Mr. Riel was only protecting the Metis

Another thing that Louis Riel did in order to help the Métis was lead the Red River Rebellion of 1869. Leading this rebellion against the government was one of the very few things which caused Louis Riel to be seen as a villain. However, Riel’s purpose was only to stand up for his people, not to go against the government. An event that led up to this rebellion was when William McDougall (appointed Lieutenant-governor of Northwest Territories) ordered a survey of the Red River Settlement on September 1869. Riel declared that the land survey was a threat to his people. So in October, the Métis, led by Riel, managed to halt the Canadian surveyors and prevent them from entering Red River. Afterward, Riel helped set up Le Comité National des Métis (Métis National Committee) prior to the rebellion. In early November, Riel led an armed revolt and seized Fort Garry, which was the headquarters of the Hudson’s Bay Company. When William McDougall arrived at the fort, he found it blocked by

The first reason Louis Riel should be viewed as a hero is due to his noble acts at the Red River Settlement. Louis Riel continued to respect the English people despite their attempt at taking over his land. He allowed the English people to become part of the provisional government he created. He also, gave them an equal number of representatives even though they were in the minority. Furthermore, Louis Riel helped Manitoba to become a province and join the Confederation. That happened since if Louis Riel had never stopped the English people from taking over the Red River settlement, Manitoba would have never been formed. Louis Riel also sent Father Ritchot to Ottawa in order to discuss the creation of Manitoba with John A. Macdonald.

Method of Research: This research essay will be composed of three parts. Firstly, the paper will use analytical research from primary and secondary bibliographical sources; books, biographies, articles, newspapers, government legislative acts, RCMP-First Nations treaty agreement, and relative historical events.

However, the Metis had never been consulted by either Hudson’s Bay Company or the Canadian government during the period of negotiations. The Canadian government ignored the resentment from the Metis by sending surveyors to the Red River Valley. The Surveyors treated the Metis quite badly, even caused physical abuses. The Metis needed someone who understood the Canadian law and willing to help them in defending their rights. They chose Louis Riel as their leader. When Riel knew how the surveyors treated his people, he and some followers quickly reacted to the threat posed by the Canadian government. Riel formed an organization called the Comite National des Metis to defend his people. After Riel setup this organization, they took another action to protect their rights. They blocked William McDougall from entering Red River without any violent incidents in order to allow negotiations with the Canadian government. Then, Riel organized a provisional government to ensure law and order in the area until an elected assembly was created since Metis were not opposed to becoming part of Canada. Moreover, they had sworn allegiance to the Queen to show their loyalty. Riel, as a patriote had shown his loyalty and care to Canada. As a patriote, Riel rather sees Red River area becomes part of Canada, instead of the United States. Throughout the years, the Canadian government had denied the Metis their rights to decide their own fate. Decisions were made without

Martel demonstrates that new English nationalistic ideas (in response to immigration) brought new threats of assimilation towards this identity, particularly to French-Canadian citizens not living in Quebec.  French-Canadians, originally hesitant to colonize these Western Canadian areas were now encouraged to protect them as they saw these nations as isolated communities of French culture.  Finally, both Lacombe and Laplante demonstrate that when the Catholic Church had less influence on political and social institutions, the church became less of a defining concept of the French-Canadian identity.  These three, when grouped together, also provide a chronological overview of the rise and fall of Catholic influence among French-Canadian citizens.  Lacombe provides the reasons for the rise during the nineteenth century, and its subsequent decline in the early twentieth century.  Martel demonstrates how French-Canadian citizens were motivated to preserve their Catholic identity when they began to lose control of the Catholic dioceses outside Quebec during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Laplante explores the transition of Quebec to a more secular province in the 1960s, where the Catholic Church gave way for the province of Quebec to provide the national identity of French-Canadian citizens.

One of the most notable contents of the royal proclamation was how the aboriginal Canadians were to be treated following the division of their land. Its main aim was to ensure that the rights of the aboriginals were to be upheld (Hubbard, 2008). Their concentrations were in the areas where there was a lot of fur trade. The area that at that time was known as the New France extended from the great Lakes to the St Lawrence River, to the Mississippi river. The center of this battle came to be Quebec, where Britain finally defeated France. The generals that led both sides in the

"We must cherish our inheritance. We must preserve our nationality for the youth of our future. The story should be written down to pass on." (Louis Riel, 1884). Louis Riel, a man of great nature and abiding love for his western Métis heritage, is proven to be one of the most revolutionary men looked upon in the chronicles of the Dominion of Canada. In spite of this, he remains as one of the most controversial and cryptic figures throughout the course of Canadian history. A period of revolution lasting from the 1870’s to the late 1880’s was condemned with constant revolts justified as an intervening year for those involved. Louis Riel is regarded as a hero by preserving the civil liberties and identities of the Métis and leading two