Louis Riel and the Red River Settlement Social Studies 10 Prince of Wales Secondary School

Plan for the day Welcome back!! Issue textbooks, Horizons. Lesson: What happened while we were away? Marking portfolios… New year, new seating plan, new unit. Issue textbooks, Horizons. Lesson: Discussion PowerPoint Town Council meeting Letter writing assignment

Overview Develop your understandings of the development of the Red River Settlement in current day Manitoba. Gain insight into the development of Canada as the nation it is today. Understand the relationship between the Métis and the colonizers. Understand the problems that resulted from the Red River Settlement and how these problems were solved. Describe life in the Red River Settlement between 1812 and 1860.

Introduction Discussion: Group Challenge!!! In a group of up to 3 people brainstorm as much as you already know about the Red River Settlement. Where was the Red River Settlement? Who are the Métis? Who is Louis Riel? What happened there? More if you know more!!! Each group will take a turn sharing one item from their brainstorm. If another group has it, cross it off of your list. The group that has the most items on their list after everyone has shared their’s wins the challenge.

What’s the Connection??

British North America - 1825

The Red River Settlement The Red River Settlement was founded in 1812 by Thomas Douglas (also known as Lord Selkirk). Douglas was a Scottish nobleman who wanted to create agricultural colonies for displaced Scottish farmers. They had been forced off their rented land by landowners who wanted to raise sheep (wool was more profitable than rent). Douglas asked the British for a land grant in the Red River Valley in Rupert’s land. This land had been given to the Hudson’s Bay Company by the British Government for fur trading purposes. The British government refused Douglas’ request.

Selkirk Settlers https://www.learnalberta.ca/content/aeChapter/pdf/Alberta_Lo uis_Riel%20_Teacher_Guide.pdf

The Red River Settlement Douglas was eventually able to gain access to the land when the price of the HBC shares went down and he and Sir Alexander Mackenzie were able to buy enough shares to gain control of the HBC. Douglas was now able to convince the HBC to grant him 300,000km2 of land in the Red and Assiniboine River Valleys (Manitoba). But what about the people that already lived there?

Relations with the North West Company and the Métis and the First People The settlement disrupted the trading practices and supply routes of the NWC. The Métis and First People were worried that the settlement would disrupt their traditional hunting practices and patterns, and that they would lose the land they had farmed for generations, because they technically didn’t have ‘legal’ rights to it. It was feared that the settlers would run out of food during the winter (crops had failed the first year). As a result the Pemmican Proclamation was issued.

Pemmican Proclamation What was Pemmican? Mixture of fat and protein, usually bison meat blended with fat, and possibly berries—highly nutritious). The proclamation banned the sale and export of pemmican from the Red River. The Metis relied on the proceeds of selling pemmican to the NWC, and were thus not happy. NWC employees were also ordered to leave their posts in the Red River Valley within 6 months.

Response to the Pemmican Proclamation Metis and NWC harassed the colonists by burning buildings, trampling crops, and firing rifles at night. By June all of the colonists had left the settlement but returned by the end of the summer. A short-lived peace was made with the Metis and NWC by Colin Robertson (an HBC trader who had worked for the NWC). But the new governor, Robert Semple, attacked and burned the then-empty NWC fort. This convinced the Metis that the colonists intended to declare war on them.

Battle of the Seven Oaks - 1816 Fearful that the colonists intended on starting a war, the Metis attacked and killed Semple and twenty of his men.

Results of the Battle of Seven Oaks Metis are victorious. The colonists again leave the settlement. Douglas heard of the defeat. He then took military control of the area, allowing the colonists to start their settlement again. Douglas (Selkirk) also made a treaty (1817) with the local Ojibwa and Cree nations gaining possession of the Red River Valley.

Activity: Town Hall Meeting Half the class will represent the Metis, and half the class will represent the settlers. Using the information you have just learned, students will represent their position (identifying possible issues, and solutions). The purpose of this meeting is to come up with some kind of solution to the problems that are arising between the Metis and the Settlers. Refer to your text for additional info, pages 143-146, 151-154).

Assignment: Write a letter to your cousin What do you think it was like to live in the Red River Settlement? Would you want to live there? Would you encourage others to move there or would you avoid the settlement? You will need to decide how you would have felt about this settlement. Your task is to convince your cousin, via a written letter, to either move to the settlement or to stay at his/her home. Keep in mind the different things that were happening at different times (choose a specific year). See handout.