Yardvmc - VMC Social Sciences



2671445-180975Dispersion of the MetisDue to all the delays and problems with their land grants, as well as the sense that they were unwelcome among the Protestant immigrants, many Metis people decided to leave Manitoba. More than 4000 left Manitoba between 1870 and 1885, at first slowly, but then in increasing numbers after 1876, when the problems with the land allocations began to become clear. The largest groups settled along the North and South Saskatchewan Rivers at St. Laurent, Batoche, Duck Lake, and Prince Albert. By 1883, there were 1300 Metis living on a 50 kilometre stretch along the South Saskatchewan River between Batoche and St. Laurent in an area known as the South Branch. By 1885, the village of Batoche numbered about 500 people. Other Metis people moved to the United States and what is now Alberta, settling at St. Albert, Lac Ste. Anne, and Lac La Biche.leftbottom00Challenges in the Northwest51054005219700Unfortunately, things were not much better for the Metis i n the North- West Territories than they were in Manitoba. Steamboats were now being used to transport goods for the fur trade, decreasing traditional Metis jobs carrying freight, and the bison were close to extinction. The decline of the bison herds caused hunger and hard times in the Metis communities, as it did among First Nations on the prairie. More Metis people turned to farming, but crop failures hindered their efforts. As early as 1873, the Metis people at St. Laurent, in the District of Saskatchewan, began sending petitions to the Canadian government to ask that their land titles along the South Saskatchewan River be secured: no one wanted to be forced to move again. None of their petitions were answered.As time passed, the events that had caused Metis people to leave Manitoba after 1870 seemed to be happening again. Land surveyors arrived in Metis communities and began staking grid lots, ignoring the Metis river lot system already in place. The Canadian government had begun building the Canadian Pacific Railway, which would run across the country. The original plans had the railway running from Winnipeg along the North Saskatchewan River Valley. The route would have passed by several of the Metis communities, so land speculators began acquiring land, especially around Prince Albert. One company, the Ottawa-based Prince Albert Colonization Company, lobbied the government for ownership of lands already settled by Metis people, who had also been petitioning the federal government for land title. Emotions ran high in the community as the Metis people feared their own claims would be ignored by the government.The Metis communities along the North and South Saskatchewan Rivers continued their petitions through the late 1870s. Their petitions increased in urgency as non-Aboriginal immigrants began arriving and staking claims to land. Some Metis people again decided to leave, moving farther west to what would eventually become Alberta. Others asked when they could finally stop moving. Some decided they needed help. In June 1884, a delegation of Metis people, including Gabriel Dumont, Moise Ouelette, Michel Dumas, and James Isbister, travelled to Montana, in the United States, to seek out Louis Riel. They asked Riel to once again lead them i n their struggle for fair treatment by the federal government in Ottawa, much as he had done in Manitoba fifteen years earlier. Riel agreed to help.What had changed in the Metis situation in the fifteen years sinceRiel left Red River? What had stayed the same?In what ways was the Manitoba Act historically significantWhat were the consequences for Canada of the Manitoba Act and of the Metis' westward migration to the North-West Territories?The Northwest ResistanceAfter arriving in St. Laurent, Riel spent the summer of 1884 visiting various Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal communities in the region. He wanted to get a better sense of people's priorities before he wrote a petition to the government. Riel was an astute political leader. He knew that Metis demands would have a greater chance of success if they included input from other people and groups living in the North-West Territories, so he made an effort to get a consensus about priorities.Political leaders in Ottawa were nervous about Riel's return. Although Riel stated firmly that he wanted a peaceful resolution of the problems, the government was not so sure and monitored Riel's movements carefully. In the fall, Riel and William Henry Jackson (later known as Honore Jaxon) worked on a petition outlining people's grievances and demands. On December 16, 1884, the petition was sent to Ottawa. The government acknowledged the petition, which was more than it had done for previous petitions, but would agree only to set up a commission to look into the problems.On March 18, 1885, a group of Metis occupied a church at Batoche and cut the telegraph lines between Regina (then the capital of the North-West Territories) and Prince Albert. Metis leaders declared a provisional government on March 19. Pierre Parenteau was elected as president and Dumont was made the military leader. As he had at Red River, Riel wrote a Bill of Rights. The Metis community armed itself i n support of the provisional government. What differences do you see thus far between the Red River Resistance, and the Northwest Resistance?Why did the Metis declare a provisional government? Why do you think Riel was not an official role in the government?What similarities are there between the 1870 list of Metis Rights and the 1885 Metis Bill of Rights?What differences are there between the 1870 list of Metis Rights and the 1885 Metis Bill of Rights?2437765-45720000Community ResponsesEnglish-speaking members of the communities along the Saskatchewan Rivers supported Riel, but refused to take up arms. Some First Nations leaders, most notably Pitikwahanapiwiyin (Poundmaker) and Mistahimaskwa (Big Bear), were also sympathetic. First Nations people were also going through hard times due to a smallpox epidemic, government regulations, and the decline of the bison herds. Many First Nations people were starving and needed help. Pitikwahanapiwiyin and Mistahimaskwa may have hoped the Metis confrontation with the government would also draw attention to their own communities' concerns, such as broken treaty promises. However, the two First Nations leaders stopped short of a formal military alliance w i t h the Metis.What common experiences did the Metis and First Nations share in the Northwest at this time?Battle at Duck LakeOn March 21, 1885, the provisional government asked the commander of Fort Carlton, Superintendant Leif Newry Fitzroy (L.N.F.) Crozier, to surrender. Four days later, a group of Metis people took over several stores in Duck Lake in search of food and other provisions. On March 26, a group of North-West Mounted Police (NWMP) and volunteers under the command of Superintendant Crozier left Fort Carlton to re-establish federal government control at Duck Lake. However, Crozier's force was met by a group of Metis at Duck Lake and fighting broke out. Within just a few minutes, twelve of Crozier's men and five Metis were dead. The Metis force under Dumont's command, forced the police to retreat.The Conflict EscalatesSome First Nations hoped to help their communities while Canadian troops were busy with Metis forces. A few First Nations individuals fought alongside Metis soldiers. However, most First Nations actions in the conflict were independent of Metis forces. First Nations got involved to serve the goals of their own communities. Many First Nations had been asking, without success, for increased rations for their people. Facing starvation and angered at the constant refusals to help, at the end of March a group from the 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. In the brewing trouble, the Ininew (Cree) war chief Wandering Spirit had taken charge of Mistahimaskwa's (Big Bear's) First Nation. On April 2, a group led by Wandering Spirit raided HBC stores at Frog Lake in search of food, arms, and ammunition. Mistahimaskwa was against the use of violence, but his people were suffering and decided to follow Wandering Spirit. Eight settlers and a Canadian government official were killed before Mistahimaskwa could stop the violence. The federal government viewed the involvement of First Nations in the conflict as a significant and alarming development. Why do you think the government had this response? 73025637603500Even before news of Crozier's defeat at Duck Lake reached Ottawa, the government had sent Major General Frederick Dobson Middleton to Winnipeg, and Winnipeg militia units were ordered to prepare for mobilization. On March 30, 1885, 600 troops were dispatched from Toronto. Unlike the 1870 resistance, in which the Red River Expeditionary Force had taken four months to reach Manitoba, this mobilization was helped by the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR). The railway was not yet finished in parts of northern Ontario, so troops had to march or use sleighs between sections of incomplete tracks. Nevertheless, the troops reached Qu'Appelle on April 6, just six days after leaving Toronto. A group of soldiers and militia under General Middleton then marched toward Batoche. Other troops kept travelling, reaching Swift Current and then heading north with orders to protect the settlers at Battleford. What effect did the CPR have on the Northwest Resistance? How was this different than the Red River Resistance?The First SkurmishesOn April 24, Middleton and his men encountered Metis forces led by Gabriel Dumont at Tourond's Coulee (Fish Creek). Although vastly outnumbered, the Metis soldiers were well positioned. They knew they had limited ammunition, so they took care to make their shots count. Middleton was surprised and dismayed at how many men he was losing and was unable to determine whether his troops' fire was at all effective against the Metis sharpshooters. He finally decided to retreat, and the Metis withdrew to Batoche to prepare for Middleton's advance.On May 2, a force of army, militia, and police under command of William Otter left Battleford to ambush a group of Ininiew (Cree) and Nakota (Assiniboine) people camped nearby at Cut Knife Hill . The troops were anxious to punish Pitikwahanapiwiyin (Poundmaker) and his people for the looting at Battleford. However, the First Nations, under the leadership of Ininew war chief Fine Day and Metis leader Norbert Delorme, were able to fend off the troops, forcing them to retreat.The Battle of BatocheOn May 9, Middleton's force of about 850 laid siege to about 300 Metis and First Nations fighters at Batoche. The Metis had once again prepared for a defensive battle and had dug rifle pits where their men could shoot in relative safety. Women, children, and the elderly retreated to a camp near Batoche, where they made makeshift shelters out of tents, dugouts, and buffalo robes. There the women supplied food to the Metis soldiers, cared for the young and old, nursed the wounded, and made ammunition by melting down anything in the camp made of metal. The women played a critical role in the battle, as they did in their communities. They gave their views on military strategy and were not afraid to voice their disapproval. One woman, Mme Marguerite Caron, told Riel that if he did not send reinforcements to help the Metis at Tourond's Coulee, she would go herself. Riel gave in and sent the requested men. Although Metis forces were far better trained and positioned than the Canadian militia, the Canadian forces were better supplied with arms and ammunition. The Canadians even had a couple Gatling guns, an early form of machine gun. Metis shotguns and rifles could not hold out long against Canadian firepower and a lengthy siege. After three days, the Metis and First Nations had run out of ammunition and were forced to surrender.The Aftermath of the ResistanceFearing for their lives, the women and children at the camp at Batoche fled and hid for several days in the hills southeast of Batoche. When the women returned to their community, they found their homes and farms looted and burned. The loss of their husbands, fathers, brothers, homes, livestock, food supplies, and transportation caused many hardships for years to come. Riel surrendered to government troops on May 15, 1885. Dumont did not believe he would be given a fair trial if he surrendered, so he escaped to the United States, along with several other Metis leaders. Pitikwahanapiwiyin surrendered on May 26 and Mistahimaskwa turned himself in to the NWMP at Fort Carlton on July 2. The resistance was officially over. In the days and months following the conflict, the government tried seventy-one Metis and First Nations people for treason-felony, twelve for murder, and one, Riel, for high treason. Both Mistahimaskwa and Pitikwahanapiwiyin were sentenced to three-year prison terms, even though neither man had supported the use of violence, and both had intervened to prevent more bloodshed. Due to ill health, neither First Nations leader served his full term. Each died within months of his release from prison. On November 27, 1885, eight First Nations fighters, including Wandering Spirit, were hanged in Battleford for their actions in the resistance.-314325102933500The Trial of Louis RielOn July 6, 1885, in Regina, Riel was charged with high treason for his role during the resistance. Riel's lawyers argued for a twelve-person jury, with six English-speaking members and six French-speaking members. They also argued for the trial to be moved to Manitoba, where they believed more jurors could be found who would sympathize with Riel's cause. They further argued that since Riel was no longer a British subject, but was instead an American citizen, he should not be tried under Canadian law and instead should be deported to the United States. The lawyers' requests were not upheld. The judge in the case, Lieutenant-Colonel Hugh Richardson, chose the six-person jury to hand down Riel's verdict, all of whom were English-speaking Protestants. The trial was set in Regina.Riel's lawyers wanted him to plead not guilty by reason of insanity. Riel had spent time in institutions for the mentally ill and, at times, had begun to see himself as a kind of prophet. Many people believed he was insane and not fully responsible for his actions. However, Riel refused to plead insanity because he believed such a plea might undermine the legitimacy of the Metis resistance.The VerdictThe jury found Riel guilty of high treason, which carried an automatic death penalty. However, the jury recommended that the judge show mercy. Despite the jury's recommendation, Magistrate Richardson handed down the death sentence on August 1, 1885. An appeal postponed the execution until October 16, and a second appeal moved it to November 16. In the end, all appeals were denied, and a Riel was hanged in Regina onNovember 16, 1885.What was Riel charged with?What was the composition of the jury at his trial?How did Riel’s lawyers want him to plead?What was Riel’s response to this advice from his lawyers?What was the jury’s verdict and sentencing recommendation?What did Magistrate Richardson decide? Historians have examined almost every detail of Riel's trial. Some have concluded that it was fair and others that it was not. What problems stood in the way of Riel receiving a fair trial?20. Was the verdict inevitable? Could the magistrate who represented the federal government have come to another decision? What affect would another decision have had on the fate of Canadian expansion in the west and the growth of the nation?What is treason?Were the leaders of the Resistance guilty of treason?In your opinion, did their actions justify their fate and punishment? Why, or why not? ................
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