Louis Riel is considered today as one of the most controversial Canadian Historians. From his lack of loyalty to integrity it is apparent that he is no stranger to contradicting his objectives in turn for self benefit. Riel may have been viewed as a hero to the Métis, however his autocratic ways proved that he did not have the group’s best interest in mind. To proclaim Riel the title “hero” would imply his incentives were for the welfare of the people in the absence of personal fulfilment. Therefore, Louis Riel was deemed a traitor due to his fickle commitment to both the Métis and the Canadian Government.
The tension first arose in 1869, when the Canadian government began negations with Hudson's Bay Company to acquire Rupert’s Land.
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Naturally, the Métis people began to panic, fearing they would lose control of their homeland. In need of a leader, the Métis National Committee put Riel at their helm and together they proclaimed a provisional government for the region. To the Canadian Government this was seen as the beginnings of a revolution. Undoubtedly, Riel was viewed as a hero to the Metis people provided he had given them identity. Although, as time progressed Riel’s dictatorial impulses reveal his acts of rebellion may not have been made under the wellbeing of the people but rather under delusions of grandeur. Riel professed great commitment to succouring the Métis however, in private, Riel was quite persistent in promising that if given a satisfactory person payment he would readily accept almost any settlement proposed by the federal authorities. Despite Prime Minister John A.
Macdonald’s apparent willingness to negotiate with Riel over the transfer of territory, the Government continued to ploy against him. A group of Ontario settlers opposed to Riel’s uprising attempted to overthrow the Metis settlement. One of the raiders captured by the Métis was Thomas Scott. While being held inside the fort, Scott continually quarrelled with his guards. When Scott was appointed to a military tribunal, no one considered Riel had anything more in mind than to scare the prisoner. Nonetheless, there, Riel tried Scott for treason and the prisoner was sentenced to death. Protestants in Ontario were outraged to say the least. This was seen as an impulsive act of vengeance on Riel’s part and his motivations for this execution caused much conjecture. Perhaps Riel believed an execution would show his provisional government was to be taken seriously, or rather it was a reassurance he himself needed in his own authority. Regardless of the intention, Riel’s dedication to his people seemed to have left with him when the Red River Rebellion collapsed and he …show more content…
fled. In exchange for amnesty Riel was banished to the United States for five years in 1875.
During his leave, Riel became very fixated on religious maters. This isolation may have further driven his instilled belief that he was a divinely chosen leader for the Métis. A deteriorating mental state prompt Riel to declare himself prophet of the new world. In a years time after suffering from multiple sporadic irrational outbursts Riel was arranged to be put into an asylum. Eventually, he recovered and was released. Riel remained untroubled until the March of 1885. Riel reintegrated himself with the Métis and swore an oath to: “… save our country from a wicked government by taking up arms, if necessary.” This was the start of a bloody uprising know as the Northwest Rebellion that would soon lead to his execution on charges of high
treason. Through this inconsistent devotion Louis Riel was proven a traitor. Provided, there is no question as to why he is seen as such a controversial figure in Canadian history. Despite appearing to be heroic, as time progressed Riel’s sense of purpose seemed to become distorted. What began as an attempt to protect the Métis seemed to have escalated into an act of self interest through exerting supremacy. Ultimately, Riel’s egoistic conduct deservingly ended in his execution.
Louis Riel, even today, remains one of the most controversial figures in Canadian history. He was a political and spiritual leader of the Métis of the Canadian Prairies who sought to preserve Métis rights and culture as their homelands came progressively under the Canadian influence. The circumstance of his death had lasting political ramifications in Canada and was opposed by many. His trial is arguably one of the most famous in Canadian history, and the question as to whether it was unjust is a topic of debate. Louis Riel
Canadian history consists of many memorable moments, including many great leaders that helped Canada become what it is today, like the well-known Louis St. Laurent. He was born on Feb. 1st, 1882 in Compton, Quebec, and died on July 25, 1973 in Quebec City (Coucil, 13). Louis St. Laurent was raised in a mixed family, with a French - speaking father, and English - speaking Irish mother, and was fluently bilingual. He studied many years in law, where he graduated from law school, at Laval University in 1914, and had been a successful corporation lawyer (“St-Stephen, St. Laurent”). Laurent entered politics a lot later in his years, as he became older; however he still managed to have a large impact on Canada, and achieved many accomplishments. Louis St. Laurent was an extremely important, and well-respected politician, because he helped resolve the conscription crisis from 1940-1944 (,Pickersgill,14), and prevented the government and cabinet from collapsing, which would have caused the society to fall apart at the time, he was involved in the establishment of the Canada Council, which introduced support for Canadian arts, to help Canada separate from the influence of American culture (Jocelyn), and lastly he welcomed Newfoundland into confederation in 1949 (“Newfoundland History”), which was a large accomplishment because of the failures Many other politicians experienced in trying to do so before.
The years following the Second World War were bleak in regards to Canada's future as a country, with the public and politicians alike set against each other, but soon a Québec man by the name of René Lévesque entered journalism, and then politics, voicing his views for all to hear, with great success and vigour. Though obstacles presented themselves often in his life, he changed the views of Québec, Canada and the world as a whole. René Lévesque was a passionate and charismatic politician who greatly contributed to post-war Québec and even today through his beliefs in separatism, founding the Parti Québecois and passing Bill 101.
Riel was highly looked upon by the Aboriginal peoples, notably the Métis, on account for fighting for their civil liberties in which were being stripped from them systematically by the government. While stationed in the Red River settlement, he was welcomed by the invasion of discrimination brought by Ontario Anglophone settlers; racial tensions escalated. He strived to protect the Métis habitat, customs and values in the Northwest as they were steadily l...
Was Louis Riel a hero or a traitor? Well, some individuals say that he was a hero, and others say that he was a traitor. Individually I believe that Louis Riel was a hero because he was the forefather of Manitoba, which is a province of Canada. The fact that he was a persuasive politician and spiritual leader made him a hero as well. Lastly, he stood up for Native rights. Others like the British had thought of him mostly as a traitor, because they were not able to understand that Louis Riel had just needed the Canadian government to treat his people fairly, and that he was willing to do everything for his people. Instead the government had thought that he was violent and evil, so a threat to them. Most people who had seen him as a traitor had realized that he did everything for his people…after his hanging.
To start off, I’ll be writing about the life of people in British North America and its significance towards unifying Canada, as well as background knowledge of conflicts that existed. Life in British North America was changing at an alarming rate. New technology and services were being introduced such as railways and steamships. Industries such as building, producing and farming were being introduced. This was in part due to the many immigrants from Britain and France who’d settled. This was dreadful for the First Nations as their land had been taken away even more so than before. More resources were needed for the growing crowd so trade agreements were made. As more people came, the First Nations were even more distanced from the Europeans. Meanwhile, the French and the British wanted the other’s culture to be erased from the
The Manitoba Métis Federation (MMF) represents the Métis community in Manitoba in political, cultural, social and economic matters (Manitoba Métis Federation (MMF), 2013). Manitoba Métis Federation, representing Métis in Manitoba, filed a claim asking for a declaration that the federal and provincial statutes, which affected the implementation of Manitoba Act provisions, were "constitutionally invalid” (Chartrand, p. 477, 1991). In Section 31 of Manitoba Act, 1870, it provided lands to the Métis people. Section 32 assured the settlers, Aboriginal or not, that their occupied lands in 1869 would not be “jeopardized” by the wave of newcomers (Sprague...
The controversy surrounding the trial and execution of Louis Riel has been debated throughout Canadian history with the French-speaking Canadians firmly planted against the English. Today, the government has recognized Riel as the legitimate leader of the Métis people. He is now regarded as a hero for representing the Métis.
Harold Cardinal made a bold statement in his book, The Unjust Society, in 1969 about the history of Canada’s relationship with Aboriginal peoples. His entire book is, in fact, a jab at Pierre Elliott Trudeau’s idea of ‘the just society’. Pierre Elliott Trudeau made great assumptions about First Nations people by declaring that Aboriginal people should be happy about no longer being described as Indian. His goal was to rid Canada of Indians by assimilating them into the Canadian framework. Considered by many as a progressive policy, Trudeau’s white paper demonstrates just how accurate the following statement made by Harold Cardinal at the beginning of his book is : “The history of Canada’s Indians is a shameful chronicle of the white man’s disinterest,
The Red River Colony was changing, but it wasn’t the only one, all of Canada were changing, because in the late 1860s Canada entered a new era and the changes and events that occurred in the Red River was only the beginning of many more conflicts and circumstances to come that would help shape and define this age Canada has entered. Although the Red River Rebellion had ostensibly achieved most of its major objectives, the Metis would soon find themselves at a disadvantage. They would rise yet again for another rebellion called The North-West Rebellion of 1885 to assert their nationality once more.
To decide what to do after Quebec separates, First Ministers and the ROC, must first look at why it happened. Perhaps Quebec's profound nationalism and unique national identity conflicted with citizens in the ROC; in order to gain understanding of their decision the ROC must look at Quebec's past. Quebec was not always treated fairly nor where they given many rights in regards t...
The battle of Quebec was also known to be the seven year war. It was the French and Indian war. The battle started in 1757 and it finished in 1762. The place where the battle took place in was Quebec Canada. The war started on the date of September 13. The British and Americans were against the French and Canadians. Major General James Wolfe was one of the generals. He was against the Marquis de Montcalm.
Thompson, John Herd, and Mark Paul Richard. "Canadian History in North American Context." In Canadian studies in the new millennium. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2008. 37-64.
Many people saw Louis Riel as a hero because of his passion about preserving the Métis rights and culture. Riel was a great Métis leader because he risked his own life just to improve the Métis’ lives. His heroism began when he returned home to Red River in 1868 after his studies, and discovered that the settlement was alarmed by arrangements to transfer territorial rights from the Hudson’s Bay Company to the Dominion of Canada. This was because the Hudson’s Bay Company resigned its control of the Northwest, and sold Rupert’s Land to Canada. This caused the Métis (people of mixed Aboriginal and European heritage) to fear that they would lose control of their homeland and traditional rights. They we...
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