The Aftermath of the Northwest Rebellion and Louis Riel's Trial
After the Northwest Rebellion, Native resistance continued briefly, leading to the formal end of the rebellion with light sentences for Indigenous participants. Louis Riel faced trial for high treason with a controversial jury and defense strategy.
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THE AFTERMATH OF THE NORTHWEST REBELLION SS10
NATIVE RESISTANCE CONTINUES Although the Metis had already been defeated at Batoche on May 12, 1885, some Natives continued to resist Poundmaker and his Cree held off the Candian forces until May 26th; he tried to go to Batoche to help the Metis there but surrendered when he found out that they had already been defeated Big Bear, another Cree leader attacked Canadian troops on May 28th, and then escaped before finally surrendering on July 2 This marked the true end of the Northwest Rebellion
THE REBELLION FORMALLY COMES TO AN END For their part, most Native people who participated in the rebellion were either pardoned or received short sentences Poundmaker and Big Bear were both sentenced to three years in prison, but Poundmaker was released after only a few months Why do you think the Plains People were given such light sentences? This was not because the government was feeling merciful; they viewed the Natives as children who had been led astray by Riel, not as people who had been driven to rebellion by the government s actions
RIEL ON TRIAL After being captured, Louis Riel was put on trial in Regina for high treason; the crime of attempting to overthrow the government This was a crime punishable by death
LOUIS RIELS JURY Looking at this picture, does anything stand out to you about the jury members? Do you think they would have given him a fair trial?
THE TRIAL OF LOUIS RIEL Riel s trial took place in July 1885. His judge was a Conservative Party supporter, and his jury was entirely white Protestants His defense team consisted of three lawyers from Quebec, who wanted him to plead not guilty by reason of insanity However, Riel refused to do so. Why do you think he would have ignored the advice from his lawyers?
THE TRIAL OF LOUIS RIEL Although it could have saved his life, Riel refused to plead guilty He believed that if he did so, the Metis struggle for recognition and rights would be dismissed as the ideas of an insane person By now, he accepted that he would almost certainly be executed, so he decided to use his platform to speak out about the conditions the Metis were facing and how they had essentially been forced to rebel
THE TRIAL OF LOUIS RIEL During the trial, Riel made long speeches about how the Metis and Plains People were facing starvation, and how the government ignored pleas from the Metis to assist them, only sending police and soldiers to keep them under control However, his lawyers insisted on only bringing witnesses who would testify to his insanity Furthermore, the judge refused to allow the Metis petitions to the government as evidence Ultimately, he was found guilty of treason and sentenced to hang The jury and the judge both recommended mercy, but the Canadian government overruled their recommendations On November 16, 1885, Louis Riel was hanged
THE LEGACY OF RIEL THEN What do you think Louis Riel s legacy is? What do you think were some effects from his execution? Riel s execution deepened the divide between English and French-speaking Canada Many French-Canadians saw him as a hero for standing up for the rights of the French- speaking and Catholic Metis English/Protestant Canadians saw him as a traitor who should have been punished according to law
THE LEGACY OF RIEL NOW Nowadays, many Canadians from both English and French speaking communities view Riel as a hero He is seen as standing up against an out of touch Eastern government for the interests of Western Canada and minority rights
