The Provisional Government of Riel After capturing Fort Garry the Metis created a provisional government Riel intended it to only hold power until Ruperts Land officially transferred to ID: 532588
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Slide1
The Red River Rebellion ConcludesSlide2
The Provisional Government of Riel
After capturing Fort Garry, the Metis created a
provisional government
Riel intended it to only hold power until
Rupert’s Land
officially transferred to
Canada
on December 1
st
, 1869
Riel feared that if
William McDougall
was allowed to take power, he would grant all power to the
Ontarian
settlers
and leave the Metis
powerlessSlide3
Canada Responds
In response
, John A. MacDonald
sent an HBC representative named Donald Smith to attempt to
negotiate
with the Metis
Smith’s meeting with the Metis resulted in the
Metis Bill of Rights
, which three Metis took to Ottawa to begin negotiating for the creation of their own
province
However, MacDonald had no intention of
recognizing
the Metis demands in full at this point
“Smith goes to carry an olive branch. We must not think of military force until peaceable means have been exhausted. Should these miserable half-breeds not disband, they must be put down.”
What do these actions and this quote tell you about MacDonald’s point of view?Slide4
The Canadian Party
John Christian Schultz
and several other
Canadian Party prisoners managed to escape Fort Garry
They attempted to rescue the remaining prisoners, but the battle resulted in several Canadian Party members being recapturedThe most significant of these was Thomas ScottHow did the video describe him?Slide5
The Case of Thomas Scott
While imprisoned, Scott repeatedly
insulted
and attacked his guardsHe frequently made anti-Metis statements, and most significantly he threatened to escape and kill Louis RielEven his fellow Canadian Party prisoners asked to be moved to different cells due to his aggressionRiel then appoints a tribunal to put Scott on trialHe is convicted of insubordination, attacking his guards, and threatening Riel
Scott is sentenced to death by firing squad, and is executed on March 4, 1870Slide6
Effects of Scott’s Execution
The Metis believed the worst had passed; they believed that the party bringing their demands to Ottawa would result in the creation of a province where their rights would be respected;
Manitoba
However, after John Schultz had escaped, he had returned to Ontario and had begun to portray Scott as a Protestant martyr who the Metis had cruelly murdered In Ontario, this caused outrage amongst the English
-speaking Protestant population, who called for his arrest and executionBut in Quebec, Riel gained more sympathy because he was believed to be standing up for the rights of French-speakersSlide7Slide8
“The Tragedy at Fort Garry”
Looking at this illustration, what stands out to you? Where do you think it was published? What do you think the artist is trying to say about what happened and how?Slide9
Manitoba joins Confederacy
When the
Metis delegation
finally arrived in Ottawa, it was difficult for them to simply plead their case before the government; they initially
arrested
They were later released and pled their case in late April to the government
Despite his earlier comments,
MacDonald’
s government ended up approving
Manitoba's
admission into Canada and many of the
Metis demands
Among these were both
French and English
as official languages and both
Catholic and Protestan
t Public schoolsBut they were unable to secure a pardon for Riel or the provincial control over public landsWhy do you think the Metis could not secure a pardon for Riel or control of land?Slide10
Riel flees (for now)
MacDonald could not afford to lose
support
in Ontario, so he organized a force of 1200 soldiers called the Wolseley ExpeditionThe force was a mix of British soldiers and volunteers from Ontario and QuebecOfficially, they were to keep order in Red River until the province could elect an official governmentBut they were also there to put down any armed resistance that remained and
capture Riel if possibleFearing for his life, Riel fled to the United States before the troops arrived, where he would remain for the next 15 yearsWhen the troops arrived, Fort Garry was already abandonedThe British soldiers tried and keep order, but the Ontario volunteers harassed and attacked the local Metis