The Red River Resistance

The Red River Resistance

Louis Riel and the Metis

Riel

• Hero?

• Traitor?

• You will be able to form your own opinion by the end of the unit

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

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

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)

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

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

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?

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

HBC Census 1843

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

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?

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

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

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

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

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

John Schultz

Thomas Scott

The Execution of Thomas Scott

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

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?

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

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

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

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?

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

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

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

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

Riel Lepine

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)?

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

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

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?

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

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

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

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

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?

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

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

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

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