Metis and Country-Born: Red River Rebellion and Beyond
History Test
Test: May 19 Friday
Pemmican – dried meat, pounded and flavored with fat and local berries
Metis – People of mixed European and First Nations ancestry (descendants of European fur traders and First Nations)
Country born – People of mixed British and First Nations ancestry
Provisional government – a temporary government put in place until a permanent one is established
Treaties – legal documents outline agreements between nations
Reserves – land set aside for exclusive use by First Nations people
Indian status – the term that identified people for recognition as Indians
Wards of the state – people who are under the care of the government, usually children or people who are unable to be responsible for themselves
Quarantine – to keep people in isolation from others to prevent the spread of disease
Stampeders – people who rushed to gold strikes
Homesteads – lands turned over to settlers for the purpose of farming
Guerilla tactics – fighting by means of ambush and surprise attacks
Prospectors – people seeking valuable minerals, especially gold
Placers staking a claim
Residential schools – schools for Indigenous people
Questions
Know the difference between Metis and Country-Born First Nations
Metis were the descendants of European fur traders and First Nations. French fur traders married women from First Nations. The children of these families married one another and had children, over time the Metis nation was born
Metis – European and First Nations
Country born – British (HBC) and First Nations
What were some of the causes of the Red River Rebellion? What date did it begin? What were the outcome results of its end?
The Red River Rebellion began in 1869. It occurred because of the idea for confederation. Rupert’s land would be taken and would become a part of the Dominion of Canada. Since the Metis occupied a corner of Rupert’s land, they weren’t happy with this idea and decided to rebel. This resistance resulted in the creation of Manitoba
Know some of the key aspects in the Metis list of rights
Territory of North-West enter into the confederation
Schools be separate based on religion
Treaties be concluded between Canada and the different nations of North-West
Both English and French languages be common in the legislature and in the courts
Lieutenant government should be familiar with both English and French languages
The judge of the Supreme Court speaks English and French
Know the main role of the following people in the Red River Rebellion: William McDougall, Louis Riel, Thomas Scott (short answer)
Louis Riel:
Leader of Metis. Was born in Manitoba but lived and went to school in Quebec. He returned to Manitoba when there were outsiders surveying their land creating controversy. Riel and his cousin tried to stop surveyors from coming onto his land. To do this, they organized the National Committee of the Metis of Red River and he was elected as secretary. The committee sent a note to Ottawa saying that they should not come into the Red River without special permission of the committee. But he was still loyal to the crown and negotiated to get Metis more involved in the government. This led to a Metis list of rights.
Thomas Scott:
Protest from Ireland who came to Ontario in 1863. In Ireland, Roman Catholics did not have lots of rights, Scott brought these views to Canada and believes that Catholics should not be allowed to be part of the government. He had the same beliefs that the Metis should not be able to participate in the government as well.
William McDougall: was a lawyer and a politician. He was a supporter of Macdonald and was appointed to be the first Lieutenant-Governor of the North-West Territories. His orders were to bring the region under the control of the Canadian government and was instructed to not concern about the First Nations and Metis
The dates each of the following provinces/territories joined confederation and what number provinces they are: Manitoba, Northwest Territories, British Columbia, Prince Edward Island
Northwest Territories – 1870
Manitoba – 1870
British Columbia – 1871
P.E.I – 1873
What was the date Macdonald passed the Manitoba Act
July 15, 1870
What was the nickname of Manitoba
Postage Stamp Province
What was the promise Macdonald made British Columbia to get them to join confederation
He promised within 10 years a railway would be built from Ontario to the Pacific Ocean.
What were some of the promises the Canadian government made to the First Nations when they created and signed the numbered treaties? What were some of the negative effects these treaties had on the First Nation people?
(short answer)
Recognize First Nations rights to live on individual reserves
Recognize First Nations rights to hunt and fish on their reserves
Provide annual payments to reserves to compensate First Nations for the lands they had given up
Supply farming implements, seeds, and livestock as well as instruction in new farming techniques
Build schools on reserves
He convinced the First Nations life would be better on the reserves as a better quality of life but still able to keep their traditions. But this led to them dying of starvation since they were too far from their usual hunting ways but many died of starvation since the new land did not have much food.
How many treaties were there in total? Which land did they occupy most? Know some of the years each treaty was signed?
In 11 treaties in total. Treaties one to seven – 1871-1908. They got the most land from Treaty Five in 1875 and 1909 (Treaty 5 extended)
(IDK if we need to know the exact dates of all treaties, I’ll put it here in case)
1 – 1871
2 – 1871
3 – 1873
4 – 1874
Treaty 5 – 1875
Extended Treaty 5 – 1908
Treaty Six – 1876
Extended Treaty Six – 1889
What was the Indian Act? In which year was it signed? Know some of the key features of the Indian Act
In 1876, the Indian Act identified people as First Nations.
Only full-blooded First Nations people could have Indian status which meant Metis were not eligible.
First Nation became wards of the state
First Nations women who married non-First Nations men lost their Indian status and the right to live on the reserve
The federal government could license companies to take timber from reserves
First Nations people who committed crimes could be tried in the courts of Canada
First Nations people could have Canadian citizenship including the right to vote but only if they give up their Indian status
Know some key features of the Immigration Act and the Dominion Lands Act
The first act was made to manage the flow of immigrants to Canada. It was to keep people out who had the disease. Limits were placed on the number of passengers that could be carried on immigrant ships. The act required ships to show passenger lists to officers of the government. The infected immigrants would be put in quarantine until they got better.
Why were Metis people called road allowance people
They were kicked off their land and built cabins and barns off the road lines
The Metis were called the road allowance because the Metis were not treated fairly under the Dominion Lands Act. The Metis were treated differently than the immigrant settlers. The thing is that the Metis were not allowed to have modern steam-driven farm equipment and always had to rely on hand tools.
What was the political scandal of the CPR?
It was during the time of the election in 1872 and Macdonald needed money to pay for the Conservative Party’s campaign. Sir Hugh Allan was a rich ship owner and donated 360,000 dollars to cover its campaign expenses. Allan was a member of a group that was trying to win the contract to build the railway, the money was a bribe to make sure Allan’s group had an advantage over its opponents.
What was Macdonald’s National Policy how did it help Macdonald stay in power
Macdonald’s National Policy:
Raised tariffs on foreign manufactured goods which would help Canadian manufacturers by making imports more expensive.
Reduced tariffs on imported raw materials. This also helped manufacturers by allowing them to get cheaper materials
Macdonald’s National Policy became popular among Canadian industries and provided many jobs in factories, which allowed Macdonald to win 3 more elections
What does CPR stand for? Which company was given the rights to build the CPR
CPR stands for Canadian Pacific Railway.
The contract was taken from Macdonald and Allen due to the scandal and was given to a Montreal company.
Who was William Van Horne what was his role in building the CPR
William Van Horne was in the U.S. in 1843. He was appointed general manager of the CPR and supervised the building of it.
Describe the role of Chinese laborers in the building of the CPR. How many workers were Chinese? Who were they only needed to build the last part of the railway? (short answer)
The CPR imported laborers from China. They did the most dangerous work and had to blast rock with nitroglycerine which is very dangerous and explosive.
They used 15,000 Chinese workers and they were only paid $1.00 a day.
About 600 – 700 died
The government wanted the Chinese people to return to China so they placed a head tax of $50 on every Chinese person in 1885. This was raised to $100 in 1900 and $500 in 1902.
They were also in crowded living conditions, had poor diets, cold weather, and lack of healthcare
They needed to get through the Rocky Mountains
Who put the last spike into the railway and on which date
Donald Smith (the president of the Bank of Montreal) because he provided a lot of money
He placed it on November 7, 1885
Know some of the causes and results of the North-West Rebellion? What happened to Louis Riel? Who supported Louis and who did not and why
The North-West Rebellion was caused because the Metis and other First Nations people worried about losing their land. It resulted in tensions between the English and the French and Louis Riel being executed after a trial for treason.
The French thought he was a hero and the British thought he should be dealt with harshly.
Know some of the names, dates, and significance of the five battles of the North-West Rebellion
Battle of Duck Lake
March 26, 1885: Cree and Metis forced police and army to retreat using Guerrilla tactics
Massacre at Frog Lake
April 2nd, 1885 Cree warriors attacked. Thomas Quinn was shot among 8 white men.
Influenced the reaction of settlers and NWMP to rebellion
Battle of Fish Creek
April 25, 1885 150 First Nations people and Metis ambushed government soldiers
Cut Knife
May 1st, 1885. Cree chief persuaded fighters to not pursue and casualties were fewer
Battle of Batoche
900 soldiers attacked 300 defenders from May 9 -12 and Riel surrendered and was arrested
What do NWMP and RCMP stand for which year was the NWMP created
Northwest Mounted Police (NWMP) and Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP)
NWMP were created on May 3, 1873
What was the NWMP’s first official act what was the name and location of their first fort
First official act to control and monitor illegal whisky trade.
Fort Livingstone; Saskatchewan
On which date did their name change to RCMP what is the RCMP’s motto
February 1, 1920
Maintiens le droit (French for ‘uphold the right’ / ‘maintain the right’ / ‘defend the law’)
What was the name of the first, second, and third gold rushes in Canada also know the names of the towns established in each gold rush area
The Fraser River Gold Rush – Lillooet, B.C
Cariboo Gold Rush – Horsefly River
Klondike Gold Rush – Dawson City
In which year was the Yukon Territory created what does its name mean
1898 and it comes from the word “Yu-kun-ah” meaning “great river.”