1885 Northwest Rebellion

The Northwest Rebellion of 1885 was a time of discontent among the Metis and Indian people with the Federal Government. Land titles were not respected, treaties weren’t being fulfilled, and the CPR fiasco are just some of the trigger factors that sparked this revolt. Led by Louis Riel, the revolt was a desperate reaction by the Metis against the government’s treatment of their people. This paper is set out to illustrate the events that caused the Northwest Rebellion of 1885 and its results.

The acquisition of the Northwest or ‘Rupert’s Land’ by the Federal government led to a chain of events which triggered the uprising from the Metis in the Red River Settlement of Manitoba. The government of John A. Macdonald needed to acquire Rupert’s Land because the Americans were keen on annexing the land. Negotiations started in 1868 in London between Canada and the Hudson Bay Company (HBC). In 1869-70, one of the largest real-estate deals in history took place, Canada paid the HBC a cash amount of Ł300,000 and gave the HBC one-twentieth of the land to maintain its trading posts. The establishment of a temporary colonial government in the area was the next goal in mind of the Macdonald government. There is a problem whe

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He did try to avoid violent action by creating a petition and sending it to Ottawa in 1884.

It was the South Branch of Saskatchewan that called upon Riel to present grievances to the government as he did in 1869. When looking at the events of the uprisings, starting in Red River settlement, it wasn’t a fact of settling for compensation, it was allowing them to conduct their lives as they always did before the purchase without having conflicts with prospective settlers. This is where the Metis call in, as mentioned earlier in the treaty events, Louis Riel from where he was staying in Montana. There is now a second problem that comes into play for the Metis. n Macdonald sends his appointed governor, William McDougall to Rupert’s Land. To break through the Metis defenses, Middletown planned a diversion with his men, drawing off Dumont’s men so that his troops could attack successfully. A raid is showered on Fort Garry by the expansionists and again prisoners are taken, one in particular is an Orange Lodge Irishman by the name of Tom Scott, who was tried for treason and executed by the provisional government. As General Middletown marched with troops from Winnipeg to Batoche, Dumont and Riel waited at Batoche for his army’s arrival.

Louis Riel stood trial for treason of the Canadian government on August 1st, 1885 where he is found guilty and sentenced to be hanged. The next major battle takes place at Fish Creek between the Canadian General Middletown and Gabriel Dumont. The Natives of Alberta and Saskatchewan felt that the government closed the door and did not provide food rations in time of scarcity. One problem was the negotiations of the treaties in the west. There is a main focal point when looking at the issue in great detail or a brief sum of the history itself.

Approximate Word count = 2476
Approximate Pages = 10 (250 words per page double spaced)

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