Manitoba Becomes a Province1870

Transcription

1 ,1 Mao Manitoba Becomes a Province1870 The people from Ontario and the other English-speaking people who lived at the Red River wanted the colony to join Canada. Some Metis felt closer ties with the United States. Other Metis wanted to form a separate nation. Life at the Red River Settlement-1869 By 1869, the population of the Red River Settlement was more than twelve thousand. Over three quarters of the population was either of mixed European and Indian ancestry, or were white men married to Indian women, or were descended from early settlers. The rest of the people included some Americans and some Canadians living in the new village of Winnipeg, about two kilometres north of Upper Fort Garry. By the 1860s the Roman Catholic Church was very important in Manitoba. There were hospitals run by the Grey Nuns. Both Protestant and Catholic churches also had schools and missions for the Natives. Some Natives preferred to follow their own religion. Others followed a combination of Native religion and Christianity. Changes in Economy and Transportation During the 1840s and 1850s, the control of the Hudson's Bay Company over the fur trade in Assiniboia was getting weaker. After 1849, the Hudson's Bay Company gave up trying to prevent the Metis from trading with the Americans. After 1859, as well as Red River cart trails, there was a steamboat route from St. Paul, Minnesota, to Fort Garry. In order to reach Canada, most people from the Red River travelled through the United States. 142 The Nor'Wester In 1859, two young men from Toronto started a newspaper, the Nor'Wester, in Winnipeg. This newspaper angered some Metis by saying that Assiniboia should soon become a part of Canada. The Choices and Fears-1870 In 1869, the Hudson's Bay Company rights were sold to Britain. The land was transferred to Canada in This included Assiniboia, which was a very important area because whoever lived there controlled the food supply for the transportation routes to the North-West. The government of Canada considered they had a right to Assiniboia. However, the Metis living at the Red River Settlement considered that they had the right to be consulted as to whether they would join Canada. The Metis were worried that many new settlers would come to the Red River. They were afraid that their farms would be given to the new settlers. They thought they might lose the right to follow their customs and religion, and speak their language.

2 The Red River Resistance Louis Riel was a Metis who had been born at the Red River and educated in Montreal. In October '869, under Riel's leadership, the Metis blocked the.urveyors sent by the Canadian government to map the land in the Red River colony. They were afraid the survey would lead to their land being given to new settlers. The Metis were further upset when Canada sent William McDougall to be the first lieutenant governor. When McDougall tried to enter Assiniboia from Pembina in the fall of 1869, the Metis blocked the road and refused to let him enter. On November 24, 1869, the Metis held a meeting at Upper Fort Garry. They formed a provisional government to lead them through the emergency. Riel soon became president. On January 26, 1870, they made up a List of Rights. Amongst other things, they asked for: an elected legislature or group of people to make laws representation in the Canadian Parliament the right to vote for every man over 21 the right to use both English and French in their schools and government a railway to Winnipeg. The Metis occupied Upper Fort Garry during the winter of Many of the English-speaking :ogle in the settlement thought this was wrong. The.iletis took several of them prisoner. When one, Thomas Scott, continually refused to respect the Metis and their government, he was executed by a firing squad. The anger that this caused in Ontario led the Canadian government to send troops in the summer of 1870 to end the Red River Resistance. Manitoba Becomes a Province When much of the District of Assiniboia had become the Province of Manitoba in May 1870, it was given most of the rights on the List of Rights that the Metis had drawn up under Riel's leadership. However, when the Resistance was over, Riel went into exile in the United States because of his part in the execution of Thomas Scott. Despite this, Riel was among the first Members of Parliament that Manitoba elected to go to Ottawa. However, because he was exiled, he was not able to take his seat in the Canadian Parliament. 143 Louis Riel Scrip In the Manitoba Act, the Metis were given 1,400,000 acres (56,000 hectares) of land in addition to the right to claim land. Scrip, a piece of paper granting the bearer the right to a number of acres, was issued to Metis who applied. After various changes, scrip was issued for 240 acres (100 hectares) or $240, whichever the applicant chose. In many cases, people bought the scrip from the Metis for far less than its value. This left some Metis with little money and no land. The Metis Move West Many Metis families moved west to start farms and hunt buffalo in the area that is now Saskatchewan. There, in 1885, Louis Riel would lead them in one more effort to try to get the Canadian government to recognize their particular land claims and political rights.

3 Manitoba Becomes a Province 1. Describe the people who lived in the Red River Settlement in (Include such things as their language and religion). 2. The Gray Nuns were responsible for establishing at Red River. 3. Some English speaking people wanted to 4. What incident upset the Metis in the village of Winnipeg in 1859? 5. After Rupert's Land was sold to Canada, the government of Canada forgot to 6. The Metis in Red River were afraid 7. Who was chosen leader by the Metis in Red River? 8. What was the first thing their leader did to upset the government of Canada?

4 9. What was the second thing their leader did to upset the government of Canada? 10. The, William McDougall tried to enter but was turned back by 11. The provisional government met and drew up a list of things that they wanted. They called this list the 12. Explain the details surrounding the death of Thomas Scott. 13. What happened to Louis Riel after the uprising ended? 14. What was scrip?

5 vents l Md111 0 t Becomes a rovinc The American territory is rapidly expanding westward in search of good farmland. Prime Minister John A. Macdonald worries that Americans will take over Rupert's Land. F Canada buys Rupert's Land from the Hudson's Bay Company, and names the entire area the North-West Territories. The people of the Red River Settlement are not consulted about this decision. The people of the Red River Settlement are upset that they have not been consulted about becoming a territory of Canada. They meet and elect Louis Riel as their leader to represent their demands. The Government of Canada names William McDougall lieutenant-governor of the North- West Territories. William McDougall travels to the Red River Colony to survey the land for Canada and to tell the people they will officially become a territory of Canada on December 1, McDougall's passage to the Red River Colony is blocked by the Metis under Louis Riel. They oppose the surveying and division of their lands by the Canadian government. On November 2, 1869, Louis Riel and his men take possession of Fort Garry, the headquarters of the Hudson's Bay Company. They put several people who oppose them in prison. One of these prisoners is Thomas Scott, an Orangeman from Ontario who believes the Red River Settlement should be Protestant and English -speaking. On December 8, 1869, Louis Riel and his followers form a provisional government. The Metis representatives draft a Bill of Rights listing their demands, including protection of their culture and lands. rn late December 1869, Prime Minister Macdonald sends Donald Smith to speak to the people of the Red River Settlement and to find out about the concerns of the Metis. On March 4, 1870, Thomas Scott tries to escape and is executed by Louis Riel's provisional government. English-speaking Protestants in Ontario and in the Red River Settlement are very upset by this. They demand that Riel be charged with murder. Prime Minister Macdonald is under pressure to take action to keep order in the Red River Settlement. (page i of 2)

6 ven s Man i ob Seaornes^ I Provi M"""' The Catholic priest Alexandre-Antonin Tache helps Louis Riel draft a new version of the Metis Bill of Rights, asking for protection of the Catholic religion, the French language, and Metis and First Nations lands in the Red River Settlement. It also requests amnesty (pardon) for all members of the Resistance. In April - May 1870, three representatives of the Red River Settlement (Noel-Joseph Ritchot, John Black, and Alfred Scott) meet with Prime Minister Macdonald and George- Etienne Cartier in Ottawa to negotiate Manitoba's entry as a province and to assure that Metis rights will be protected. Most Metis demands are accepted, except for Alexandre-Antonin Tache's request for amnesty for all participants in the Resistance. Manitoba will become a province with representatives in Ottawa, bilingual government, Catholic and Protestant schools, and I protection for Metis and First Nations lands. On July 15,1870, Manitoba becomes a tiny province, with an area of about 160 square kilometres. The Metis have obtained most of their demands, and Prime Minister Macdonald has assured Canadian control over western Canada. In August 1870, a Canadian regiment under Colonel Wolseley arrives in the Red River Settlement. Louis Riel, who was forewarned of their arrival, escapes to the United States where he remains in exile for several years. He is twice elected in absentia (while absent) to represent the Red River people in Canadian Parliament. However, he cannot return to Canada to take his seat in Parliament, as he fears for his life. In 1885, Louis Riel returns to Canada to lead the Metis in a Resistance against the federal government that takes place in Batoche (now Saskatchewan). He surrenders, and is later hanged for treason in Regina. His body is returned to St. Boni f ace for burial. In 1912, a change to Manitoba's boundaries to include part of the Northwest Territories enlarges Manitoba to the size and shape we recognize today. (page 2 of 2)

7 Manitoba Enters Confederation 1. Who was the Prime minister of Canada at the time Rupert's land was sold to Canada by the Hudson Bay Company? 2. Who were the people that were not consulted as to whether or not they wished to join Canada? 3. The people of elected to represent them. 4. Who did the government of Canada send to the North -West Territories to survey the land for Canada? 5. What news did this person tell the people in the Red River Colony? 6. The Metis blocked this person's entrance to the Red River because 7. Louis Riel and his followers took over. Some people that opposed this move were put in prison, including a man by the name of an speaking Protestant from the province of 8. and his newly formed government wrote up a list of demands that were later called the

8 9. Prime Minister sent to speak to the people of Red River to find out their concerns. 10. tried to escape and was executed by and his followers. English-speaking Protestants in were upset and put pressure on the government to do something. They demanded 11. Who helped Louis Riel draft a new that asked for protection of the religion? 12. Who were the three people who met with the Prime Minister and in Ottawa to negotiate Manitoba's entry into confederation? 13. Explain what Louis Riel did just before the Canadian regiment under arrived in Red River. 14. In 1885, Louis Riel led another group in Saskatchewan. Explain.