Red River rebellion history

1. The Red River Resistance
Louis Riel and the Metis

2. Riel
• Hero?
• Traitor?
• You will be able to
form your own
opinion by the end
of the unit

3. Canadian Expansion Plans
• The BNA Act of 1867 created the Dominion of Canada with 4 provinces:
– Ontario
– Quebec
– Nova Scotia
– New Brunswick
• At the time in British North America there were also the colonies:
– PEI
– Newfoundland
– British Columbia
• As well as 2 vast territories:
– Rupert’s land
– The Northwest Territory
• Very soon after the British Parliament approved the BNA Act the new
Dominion of Canada set out to expand, turning much of this attention
west, to Rupert’s Land

6. Why Rupert’s Land
• The population of the Dominion of Canada was
growing rapidly and in many places there was a
shortage of agricultural land
• This desire to grow also had a sense of urgency
– The US was actively expanding at the time
– There was a lot of fear about the US annexing Rupert’s
Land if Canada didn’t act
• Negations therefore began with the HBC to
acquire the territory

9. The Red River Valley
• The acquisition of Rupert’s Land would affect
many Metis, First Nations and Inuit peoples
• However, one of the areas most immediately
affected would be Red River (present day
Winnipeg)
• Most of the population was Metis, but included
many other groups as well
– Country born
– Selkirk Settlers
– Many First Nations
– Canadiens (St Boniface)

10. Changes at Red River
• The population grew rapidly after 1821
• The merger of the HBC and NWC has resulted in half of
the fur trade employees losing there jobs, and many
(mostly Metis) settled in Red River with their families
• In the 1850s and 1860s many of these people adapted
to the changing economic climate and the decline of
the bison herds by taking up farming and selling their
produce to the HBC
• Trade grew as well
– Some of the trade was with buffalo hunters from St Paul,
Minnesota and many worried that these trade
relationships would increase American control over the
region

13. Outspoken Newcomers
• By 1860 English speaking settlers from Ontario
had moved to Red River
• They were led by Dr. John Shultz and formed the
“Canadian Party” which called for the immediate
sale of Rupert’s Land to Canada
• Many Shultz supporters were also members of
the Protestant organization known as the Orange
Order
• These Orangemen were strongly anti-French and
anti-Catholic

14. Lets Think…
1. What is the relationship between the
Orangemen and the Metis going to look like?
2. Are the Metis in Red River going to welcome
the sale of Rupert’s Land to Canada?

15. The Transfer of Rupert’s Land to
Canada
• In April of 1869 the Canadian government and the HBC
reached a deal to transfer Rupert’s Land to the Dominion
of Canada
– A no point was there consultation with the Metis, First
Nations, or Inuit populations
• The HBC received £300 000 to return it to the British
Crown
• Britain then transferred it to Canada on December 1,
1869
• Lost in this transfer were many farms which had been in
families for generations but were not officially recorded
on HBC registries
• Residents were very worried about how the transfer
might affect their homes and livelihoods

16. HBC Census 1843

18. The Survey
• As soon as an agreement was reached, 6 months
before the transfer was official, William McDougall,
Minister of Public Works sent a survey team to the
colony to set up boundary markers in anticipation of an
influx of immigrants from Canada
• The English speaking surveyors trespassed on land and
did not explain to the residents what they were doing
• On October 11th, 1869 a Metis farmer, Andre Nault
tried to prevent surveyors from working on his land.
• The surveyors ignored him and neighbors including his
cousin, Louis Riel stepped in
• The groups stopped the survey and declared that the
Dominion of Canada had no right to survey Red River
without the permission of its residents

20. Let’s Think…
1. What impression might the Metis have had
about the motives of the Dominion of Canada in
Red River?
2. What would you do in this situation?

21. The Comite National Des Metis
• On Oct 19, 1869 (after the confrontation with
surveyors) the Comite National Des Metis is formed to
strategize how to deal with the Canadian government
• They write a letter to William McDougall (lieutenant
governor of the North-Western Territory) stating that
they had the right to be informed about any policies
affecting their land and be part of the negotiations
between the HBC and the Dominion of Canada
– The letter also stated that the Canadian delegates had no
right to enter Red River without permission form The
Comite

22. The Comite Cont’d
• Despite the letter McDougall and a party of armed officials
tried to enter Red River from the south via the US border
• They were met by a group of Metis and escorted back to
the border
• The next day the Comite and 120 supporters took over
Upper Fort Garry
• Prime Minister MacDonald sent orders to delay the transfer
of Rupert’s Land to the Dominion, but despite this
McDougall rode to the border and read a proclamation
claiming Rupert’s Land for Canada, then goes back to the
US side of the border
• This leaves a power vacuum; the land is claimed by the
Dominion, but there is no government so neither the HBC
or Canada now have control

23. The Provisional Government is Formed
• McDougall's actions prompt the Metis to begin work on a list of demands
to negotiate terms for entry of their territory into the Canadian Federation
• In the meantime, residents in Red River like John Shultz become impatient
with the slow transfer of power to Canada and plan an attack on the
Comite.
– They are arrested on Dec 7, 1969
• The next day the Comite declared the formation of a provisional
government with Riel as its president claiming it necessary to keep peace
and order until negotiations with the Dominion could take place
• The Metis refused to accept Canadian authority in Red River until their
rights were guaranteed
• In January of 1870 a delegation of Canadian officials arrived at Red River
to negotiate with the provisional government and other members of the
community
• On Feb 7th the Red River community formally elected a new provisional
government with Riel as its president called the Convention of 40 ( 20
French, 20 English Speaking) which continued to work towards a list of
rights to be used in negations with Canada

25. Backlash in the Colony
• Support for the Convention of 40, and their list of
rights was not unanimous in Red River
• John Shultz and his group tried to overthrow the
provisional government
• On Feb 16, 1870 a group of Shultz supporters
known as the “Portage Gang” harassed and beat
a Metis woodcutter named Norbert Parisien
• While escaping Parisien shot a passerby named
John Sutherland
• Parisien then died in April of his injuries

26. The Execution of Thomas Scott
• One member of the Shultz group who was
arrested for attempting to take over Fort Garry
from the Provisional government was a laborer
named Thomas Scott
• Scott was an Orangeman from Ontario who had
made his anti-French, anti-Catholic views very
clear to his captors
• The provisional government tried and convicted
Scott and 2 others and sentenced them to death
– However, Riel pardoned 2 of the men
– Scott was executed on March 4th by firing squad

27. John Schultz
Thomas Scott

28. The Execution of Thomas Scott

29. The Effect in Ottawa
• On March 24th a delegation from Red River arrived in
Ottawa arrived in Ottawa to negotiate with Dominion
government
• However, the news of the Scott execution preceded
them and the delegation was arrested upon arriving in
Ottawa, before being quickly released so negotiations
could begin
• Public opinion was divided on Scott’s execution
– In Ontario it was against the provisional government
– In Quebec some people viewed Riel as a hero and
defender of Catholicism and the French culture
• This divided highlighted the growing divide between
Canada’s largest provinces

30. Let’s Think…
1. Why would the federal government arrest
the Red River Delegation, then quickly
release them for negotiations?
2. Can you think of any other events in
Canadian history which highlight the
French/English divide in this country?
3. What is treason? Was Scott guilty of treason?
4. Was Riel and the provisional government
justified in executing Thomas Scott?

31. The Manitoba Act
• Despite the controversy, negotiations proceeded
and the Canadian government passed the
Manitoba Bill on May 12, 1870 with a vote of 120
to 11
• It was approved by the British government which
set July 15, 1870 as the date upon which the Act
would take effect
• In Red River the provisional government voted to
accept the terms of entry into Canada set forth in
the Act

32. Terms of the Act
• The Act included many of the terms from the
Metis List of Rights:
– Manitoba entered Canada as a self-governing
province which elected its own local government
– Government support for denominational schools
(schools run by churches) was guaranteed
– Bilingualism in the Manitoba legislature and courts
– Residents of Red River owned the land they had
already occupied
– Land for the children of Metis and Country-born

33. The “Postage Stamp” Province
• The new province was so small that it was
dubbed the “Postage Stamp Province”
• Also, it did not have the same rights to its
natural resources that other provinces did
• Nevertheless the provisional government felt
that it had secured the land that the residents
of Red River would need to protect their
culture

36. Let’s Think…
1. Do you think that the Federal government
was overly concerned with granting self
government to the Metis and the
preservation of Metis rights during
negotiations?
2. Who would soon make of the majority of the
province, and elect the majority of the
provincial legislature?

37. The Red River Expeditionary Force
• As soon as negotiations for the Manitoba Act
were complete, the Dominion sent a military
force to Red River in order to “keep order”
(MacDonald)
• Composed of British troops and Canadian
Militia
• It was led by Colonel Wolseley and travelled
from Toronto for 4 months, arriving in Upper
Fort Garry in August

39. The Reign of Terror
• Upon arrival the Force took control of the colony in a
period dubbed the “reign of terror”
• Many militia were Orangemen who were determined
to punish members of the provisional government for
the execution of Scott
• However, Riel and other members of the provisional
government had been forewarned about their arrival
and had left the settlement and fled across the US
border
• The Force threatened, harassed, and beat any Metis
that they encountered
• The Force also committed rape, theft and arson
throughout the settlement

40. Elzear Goulet
• On Sept 13, 1870 a group of men, including some
militia chased Goulet from a saloon (he had been a
member of the court which had sentenced Scott)
• He jumped into the river to escape as the mob stoned
him. He drowned
• As with other crimes at the time, no one was punished
• Events like this caused many Metis to avoid Fort Garry
out of fear for their safety
• Military commanders were unable or unwilling to
control their troops and the Canadian government
turned a blind eye to their actions

42. Amnesty
• Once Archibald arrived on Sept 2, he tried
unsuccessfully to restore order, however violence
towards the Metis continued until 1872
• In the midst of the turmoil Archibald set up a
temporary government in preparation for the
province’s first election which took place on Dec
30th 1870
• Archibald called for reconciliation between the 2
sides and in response the Dominion government
granted amnesty (a pardon) to some members of
the provisional government for Scott’s execution,
including Riel and Lepine

43. Riel Lepine

44. Let’s Think…
1. Whose interests were served by turning
government troops lose in the colony?
2. What effect would a “reign of terror” have on
democracy in the first Manitoba provincial
elections in 1870?
3. What does amnesty for Riel and Lepine mean
in practical terms (could they go back to Red
River)?

45. Riel after The Red River Resistance
• In the years after Manitoba entering into Confederation Riel feared for
his life and spent almost all of his time in hiding, usually in the US
• Visits to Manitoba were cautious and brief
• Despite this, he did enter federal politics and won a seat in the general
election of 1874
• However, he never did take his seat for fear of arrest
• In February of 1875, Riel and Lepine were granted amnesty, however
the terms of the deal stated that they were banished from “her
Majesty’s Dominions” for 5 years
• Riel had periods of depression, spending time in 2 Quebec asylums
then moved to Montana where he regained his balance and
contributed to First Nations and Metis campaigns against their
treatment by the US government
• He married in 1881 and had 2 children
• He became a school teacher at St Peter’s mission in Montana in 1883
and was granted US citizenship

46. Racism in the Northwest
• Following 1870 thousands of frontier settlers moved into
the Northwest from Canada
• The Metis became outnumbered by euro-Canadians,
mostly English speaking Protestants
• It became increasingly difficult to be French, Catholic, or
metis in Red River
• The climate of violence and racism continued as new
settlers arrived
• Some middle class Country-born families did adopt
mainstream euro-Canadian culture, however those that
could not ‘pass” as Euro-Canadians were labeled “half
breeds”
• In the years following many Metis and Country-born
rejected that label and eventually became the Metis nation
we know today

47. Let’s Think…
1. What would life be like for the Metis
following the ‘reign of terror’ in Red River?
2. What effect did thousands of euro-Canadians
have on the new province?
3. What other events are affecting the Metis at
the time?

48. Dispersion of the Metis
• Many Metis decided to leave Red River
– Many sensed that they were unwelcome among
Protestant immigrants
– There were significant delays with land grants
• More than 4000 Metis left Manitoba between
1870 and 1885
• The largest groups settled along the
Saskatchewan River (about 1300 between
Batoche and St. Laurent)
• Others moved to the US, the area that is now
Alberta

49. Challenges in the Northwest
• Life for the Metis in the Northwest Territories was not much better
– Steamships reduced jobs as carriers of freight
– Bison herds were close to extinction
– Crop failures plagued those who turne3d to farming
– Metis and First Nations communities on the prairies experienced
hunger and hard times
• As early as 1873, Metis at St. Laurent began to petition the federal
government to secure their land along the South Saskatchewan
River
• The petitions are not answered by the feds, and the events that
transpired in Red River seemed to repeat themselves
• Land surveyors arrived in Metis communities and began staking out
plots while ignoring the Metis river lot system already in place
• In addition, The Canadian government began construction on the
Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) which was set to pass through
Winnipeg, then through lands already settled by the Metis along
the North Saskatchewan River Valley

50. The Northwest Resistance
• In June of 1884 a delegation of Metis, traveled
to Montana to seek out Louis Riel
• Riel arrived in St. Laurent during the summer
of 1884 and visited various communiites to
seek input into a Metis Bill of Rights for the
region
• The petition was acknowledged by the feds
but they only agreed to set up a commission
to look in to it

51. The Resistance Begins
• On March 18, 1885 a group of Metis occupied a
church at Batoche and cut the telegraph lines
• Metis leaders declared a provisional government
on March 19 with Pierre Parenteau as president
and Gabriel Dumont as military leader
• Riel wrote the Bill of Rights
• The Metis community armed itself in support of
the provisional government

52. Let’s Think…
1. What differences do you see thus far
between he Red River Resistance, and the
Northwest Resistance?
2. Why would Riel not have an official position
in the provisional government?

53. Community Responses
• English speaking residents along the
Saskatchewan River supported Riel, but refused
to take up arms
• Some First Nations leaders like Poundmaker and
Big Bear were also sympathetic
• First Nations were experiencing similar struggles
to the Metis as well as
– a small pox epidemic
– restrictive government policies
– the decline of the bison herds
– starvation

54. Battle at Duck Lake
• On March 21, 1885 the provisional government asked
the commander at Fort Carleton, Superintendent
Crozier to surrender
• 4 days later a group of Metis took over several stores at
Duck lake in search of food and other provisions
• On March 26th a group of North West Mounted Police
and volunteers under Crozier left Fort Carleton and
were met by a group of Metis at Duck Lake and fighting
broke out
– 12 of Crozier’s men and 5 Metis were dead in minutes
– The Metis, under Dumont’s command had forced Crozier
and his men to retreat

55. Escalation
• At the end of March, facing starvation a group of
Poundmaker and Little Pine reserves raided
stores at Battleford
• They also raided nearby farms for food, supplies,
and livestock
• Fearing for their safety most non-Aboriginal
settlers abandoned their farms and crowded into
Battleford
• An Cree war chief Wandering Spirit had taken
charge of Big Bear’s First Nation and raided HBC
stores at Frog Lake in search of food, arms, and
ammunition

56. The Response
• Winnipeg militia troops were prepared for
mobilization March 30, 1885 600 troops were
dispatched from Toronto, reaching Qu’Appelle
on April 6th
• The CPR was almost