Argumentative Essay On Louis David Riel

"I was not taken prisoner. I surrendered on purpose. I want to be judged on the merits of my actions. ... From the time of my arrival in Saskatchewan, I worked peacefully ... We didn’t make any aggressive military moves. ... In Batoche we defended ourselves” was the statement of Louis Riel, an innocent, yet controversial Metis man fighting for the rights of others. Riel, to some, is a hero, while is labelled as insane and a culprit by others. After analyzing the facts and the timeline of the historical events, I now conclude that Louis David Riel is an innocent man who was fighting for Metis rights against the Canadian government.

Riel was known for being responsible for the death of Thomas Scott, an Orangeman who favoured Confederation. Although we cannot defend the fact that Thomas Scott was executed, it can be stated that Scott’s trial was completely fair. His trial was not Riel’s decision, but was the decision of his whole Provisional Government, which included the English as

well. The Metis tolerated Scott’s behaviour as he continued to throw insults and threats to the guards as well as claiming that he will kill Louis Riel when he is freed. Although, looking at the aftermath of the execution, Riel was indeed granted with an amnesty, and should not be used against him anymore.

One condition of the amnesty was that he was on a 5 year banishment from Canada, although following his return to Canada, he was asked by the Metis in Saskatchewan for aid in getting land ownership.

During this time, Sir John A Macdonald was plotting a way for the Metis to rebel to put the Canadian Pacific Railway to use. The Canadians attacked the Metis in Batoche, and they were compelled to defend themselves to survive. After several long days of battle, it was evident that the Metis had lost to the Canadians. This caused most Metis fled to America, while Riel decided that it would be best to surrender himself. Riel’s trial had only one witness that spoke French, and I observed that many accusations were held against Louis Riel, while his own lawyer was claiming he was insane. The centre of this discussion involved the questioning of his sanity and the execution of Thomas Scott. The verdict of the trial proved that Louis Riel was guilty of treason and was executed on November 16,

1885.

Louis Riel can also be considered a Father of Confederation, as he was the reason Manitoba and Saskatchewan joined Canada. John A Macdonald was a Father of Confederation who was also responsible for many crimes, such as aboriginal deaths, corruption and money laundering. John A Macdonald is equal to, or worse than Louis Riel, but was not charged for his crimes due to his power and bloodline. Our Government had many men that were unjust towards the Metis, sending soldiers to capture Riel and ruling over the Metis during the time that Riel was in the United States, which resulted in deaths of many of the Metis. The main reason is that almost all the members of these movements were Canadian. The Government was against the Metis, unwilling to give them the rights that they deserved because of their blood status.

On November 16, 1885, Louis David Riel was executed for being a Metis and standing up for the rights of his culture. If reflected, it leads us to think what would have happened if Riel was treated equally? Would Louis Riel be able to live with his family which was taken away from him along with all his privileges due to the sheer ignorance of the Canadian Government?