Rebellions by native peoples against colonist conquerors don’t often succeed, and the Riel Rebellions were little different. In fighting for their survival as a distinct people, an overwhelming force of Canadian militia crushed the rebel forces and, despite national cries for clemency, executed the leader, transforming him into a martyr.
--On This Day in History Shit Went Down: March 26, 1885--
The Métis are descendants of both First Nations and European settlers. As political leader of the Métis, Louis Riel launched his first rebellion against the new federal government of Canada in 1869, just two years after the nation was granted independence from Britain. It became known as the Red River Rebellion and was largely a successful one in that a number of rebel terms were accommodated, resulting in the Red River Colony becoming part of Canadian Confederation as the province of Manitoba. Other victories for the rebellion included separate French schools for Métis children and protection of their Catholic faith.
However, Riel had executed the pro-Canadian Thomas Scott for threatening to murder him, and after the agreement he was forced to flee to the U.S. to avoid prosecution. During his exile, Riel was elected to parliament three times but could never assume his seat.
By 1884 Métis leaders in Saskatchewan were pleading with Riel to return because, big surprise, the Canadian government was fucking them over. This eventually led to the second Riel-led uprising, called the North-West Rebellion, beginning on March 26, 1885. It was far larger and more violent than the first.
What began as a movement became something of a holy war under Riel. He gave the rebellion a fiercely religious tone, and the Catholic clergy were not impressed because I guess they weren’t into that whole Crusades thing any longer. The white population of the region wasn’t enthusiastic about joining either, but Riel mustered about 200 Métis and a smaller number of Cree warriors to launch their attacks. They were successful at first, but the Canadian government had trains to bring in a seemingly endless supply of troops.
By mid-May the rebellion was crushed at the four-day-long Battle of Batoche, resulting in Riel’s surrender. He was put on trial and hanged on November 16, 1885. The legacy was that the prairie provinces came to be controlled by Anglophones rather than Francophones, and lasting animosity was created between English and French in the bilingual nation.
Historical opinions on Riel are divided, with some viewing him as a religious nutjob and traitor, and others seeing the man as a hero fighting against an oppressive state.
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