Louis Riel essay

     Louis Riel was a mad hero who fought for the rights of his people. Throughout his years Louis Riel refused to be pushed around and was sick of the racism toward him and the Métis. As a child he was known as a talented student with many abilities and as he grew old he was known as a great man willing to risk his life to stand up for himself and many others. Louis Riel is a hero.




          The great hero was born on October 22 1844. As a kid he went to school in Montreal studying religion and priesthood. Many noted him as a gifted student with many talents. The bishop at St. Boniface, Alexandre Tache, sent Louis to attend College de Montreal in 1858. He studied languages, science, and philosophy. He showed constant and unpredictable mood change. In 1864, when Riels father passed away, Louis began to lose interest in his school work and he left college. He stayed in Montreal for a while living with his aunt. During that time he fell in love but had his heartbroken when the girl’s family would not let her marry him because he was Métis. He had a job as a law clerk in Montreal but he found he did not like law and in 1866 Louis Riel decided to leave Quebec. He then lived in Chicago and worked as a clerk and wrote poems. By 1868 Louis had returned to the Red River Settlement.


              Louis Riel had returned to the Red River Settlement and was disappointed to see that the land that use to be populated with mostly Métis and First Nation people were now populated by Anglophone Protestant settlers from Ontario. He thought he would organize a group called the “Métis National Committee”. Riel was the secretary and a man named John Bruce was the president. This group prevented Lieutenant McDougall to not enter their land. Louis Riel soon became president of this group and met with the Ottawa Delegation to discuss a list of rights for the Métis. Riel and Smith agreed to send representatives to negotiate the list. Thomas Scott and 48 others were arrested by Fort Garry for plotting against the Provisional Government of the Red River Settlement. While Thomas Scott was in jail he was very rude and was threatening to kill Louis Riel and was asked many times to control himself and behave. Scott ignored them and was sentenced to death. This caused many problems for Louis Riel in the future. People wanted the great hero arrested and killed. They were blinded by hate and did not understand why Thomas Scott was killed and how Louis Riel didn't want him to be killed. Riels arrest warrant was 5000$.

              Though Riel was running for parliament he was not able to enter the parliament buildings and was not present for the great “Pacific Scandal Debate” in 1873. During this time Riel spent time with the priests of Oblate in Plattsburg, New York. While spending time here Riel thought less about politics and more about religion. People would encourage him and tell him he was chosen to be the leader of the Métis. Louis soon thought of himself as a prophet of the new world and called him himself Louis David Riel. He would sit praying for hours making the servants hold his arms like a shape of a cross. Soon though Riel recovered from this brief madness and married. He noticed alcoholism with the Métis and tried to stop the whiskey trade but was unable to. By 1884 Riel had settled down in Montana with his two kids and wife. He taught school at St. Peter's Jesuit mission. The Métis travelled down to the Saskatchewan Valley and settled there.

           Louis Riel attended his trial which was on July 28^th and lasted only five days. During the trial doctors tried to convince the judge and jury that Louis was insane. Riel disagreed with the doctors and said he was not crazy. The jury found Riel guilty but sentenced him to mercy. The judge disagreed and sentenced Riel to death on September 18^th 1885. Riel regretted saying he was sane and wanted another trial. This request was denied though. The great hero was hung on September 18^th and his tragic death still affects people to this very day. His body was given to his mother in St. Vital. On the 12^th of December his body was buried at the churchyard of Saint-Boniface Cathedral.

         Louis Riel died a hero and to this very day people still talk about him. Riel is an inspiration and we should look up to this hero for fighting for rights and never giving up. Even as a kid he had great talents and abilities. His belief in god was strong and he prayed while in battle. We will always remember Louis Riel as a strong and brave hero who never gave up

louis riel

Thesis statement: Louis Riel was a mad hero who fought for the rights of his people.

CHILDHOOD
.Louis Riel was born on october 22 1844 in the Red River Settlement

.he attended school and was a very gifted student

.In 1858 Taché arranged for Riel to attend the Petit Séminaire of the Collège de Montréal in Montreal, Quebec under the direction of the Sulpician order. Descriptions of him at the time indicate that he was a fine scholar of languages, science, and philosophy, but exhibited a frequent and unpredictable moodiness

.father died in 1864 and louis lost interest in his school work

.lived with his aunt for a while

.Fell in love but girls parents didnt want to be associated with a Metis and forced the girl and Louis Riel apart

.Had a job as a law clerk in montreal

.disliked law and left quebec to live in Chicago in 1866

.got a job as a clerk and wrote poems

.returned to the Red River Settlement in 1868


REBELLION
.In late August, Riel denounced the survey in a speech, and on 11 October 1869, the survey's work was disrupted by a group of Métis that included Riel

.This group organized itself as the "Métis National Committee" on 16 October, with Riel as secretary and John Bruce as president

.Riel declared that any attempt by Canada to assume authority would be contested unless Ottawa had first negotiated terms with the Métis

.Nevertheless, the non-bilingual McDougall was appointed the lieutenant governor-designate, and attempted to enter the settlement on 2 November. McDougall's party was turned back near the American border, and on the same day, Métis led by Riel seized Fort Garry

.Meetings between Riel and the Ottawa delegation took place on January 5 and 6, 1870, but when these proved fruitless, Smith chose to present his case in a public forum

.On 7 February, a new list of rights was presented to the Ottawa delegation, and Smith and Riel agreed to send representatives to Ottawa to engage in direct negotiations on that bas

.Despite the apparent progress on the political front, the Canadian party continued to plot against the provisional government
.48 men including thomas scott was aressted

.Thomas Scott was rascist and rude and was killed for threatening Louis Riel

.An agreement enshrining the demands in the list of rights was quickly reached, and this formed the basis for the Manitoba Act

 .by late June Riel was back in Manitoba and was soon persuaded to run as a member of parliament

.had announced a bounty of $5,000 for his arrest

.Riel was the only Member Of Parliament who was not present for the great Pacific Scandel debate of 1873 that led to the resignation of the Macdonald government in November.

.Although the Liberals under Mackenzie formed the new government, Riel easily retained his seat

.During this period, Riel had been staying with priests of the Oblate order in Plattsburgh, New York who introduced him to Father Fabien Martin dit Barnabé in the nearby village of Keeseville

.During his time of exile, he was primarily concerned with religious rather than political matters

.Spurred on by a sympathetic Roman Catholic priest in Quebec, he was increasingly influenced by his belief that he was a divinely chosen leader of the Métis.

.He consequently began calling himself Louis "David" Riel, prophet of the new world, and he would pray (standing) for hours, having servants help him to hold his arms in the shape of a cross

.Riel recovered and married

.Observing rampant alcoholism and its detrimental impact on the Native American and Métis people, he engaged in an unsuccessful attempt to curtail the whisky trade

.With two young children, he had by 1884 settled down and was teaching school at the St. Peter's Jesuit mission in the Sun River district of Montana.

.Following the Red River Rebellion, Métis travelled west and settled in the Saskatchewan Valley, especially along the south branch of the river in the country surrounding the Saint-Laurent mission (near modern St. Laurent de Grandin, Saskatchewan)


THE TRIAL AND DEATH OF LOUIS RIEL

.28 July 1885, and lasted only five days

.Doctors tried to convince the jury and judge that Louis Riel was insane

.Riel disagreed with the doctors

. The jury found Riel guilty but sentenced him to mercy

.The judge disagreed and sentenced to death

.date of his execution initially set for 18 September 1885

 . as the date of his execution approached, Riel regretted his opposition to the defence of insanity and vainly attempted to provide evidence that he was not sane

.Requests for a retrial and an appeal to the Privy council in England were denied

.Following the execution, Riel's body was returned to his mother's home in St. Vital, where it lay in state. On 12 December 1886, his remains were laid in the churchyard of the Saint-Boniface Cathedral

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