Louis Riel and the uprising of the Red River Colony
Lead up to Rebellion
 1869- arrival of land
speculators
 Original Metis settlers angry
with HBC for pursuing the sale
of the land with their
consultation
 Surveyors also laying out
square townships
 Unlike traditional strip lots of
Metis
 Begin to wonder if Canadian
Government is trying to take away
their land
Lead up cont’d.
 Metis, under Louis Riel, decide to
confront the surveyors
 Metis National Committee
formed to confront Governor
William McDougall
 Told McDougall to go back to
Ottawa as the Metis intended to
govern themselves
The Stakes are raised
Several Metis under
Riel’s command occupy
Fort Garry and seize its
munitions.
The Red River Rebellion
had begun.
What they really wanted
 Riel and followers never wanted a rebellion
 Only wanted to ensure that their people would keep
their land and their rights after the land was
transferred to Canadian authority
 Riel set up a Provisional Government to negotiate
 Drew up a list of rights (p.159)
Tensions rise
The Canadian Party, under McDougall’s leadership was
armed and ready to attack the Metis
 Riel took the initiative and to seized the
headquarters of the Canadian party
 Took several people hostage and declared he was ready
to negotiate
 Prime Minister John. A. Macdonald refused to
recognize Riel or negotiate with him
Execution
 Schultz, leader of the Canadian
party, escapes from Fort Garry
 Another prisoner, Thomas Scott,
threatens to kill Riel, verbally and
physically abuses the guards.
 On March 4, he was executed by
firing squad by Riel’s provisional
government
 On March 9, Riel formally declares
the the crisis had passed
Off to Ottawa
After the execution of Scott, a delegation of Metis set
off to Ottawa to negotiate the creation of the
province of Manitoba
 Prior to their arrival, Schultz, who had escaped,
arrived in Ontario
 He begins to make a martyr out of Scott so by the time
the Metis arrive, they had a hard time getting
recognition from Macdonald’s government
A new province
 The Metis’ case is
finally heard in April
 Macdonald allows
200000 hectares of
land to be given to
the Metis.
 On May 2,
legislation is passed
confirming
Manitoba’s creation
Vengeance
 As cries for retribution over Scott’s




death rose from the white protestants,
Macdonald had to do something
He sends 1200 troops to arrest Riel and
keep the peace until the transfer of
power to a new provincial gov’t could be
done
Riel fled the area fearing for his life to
the United States and was banned from
Canada for five years
He would spend the next 15 years in the U.S.
Other members of the provisional gov’t
were granted amnesty