Louis Riel play an important role in Canadian history from 1869, in the Red River Rebellion to 1885, in the North-West Rebellion, where he was executed by the government for treason by the rebellion of 1885. Louis Riel is the most educated Métis ever know in the Canadian history. Métis is the people who are a combination of French and Indian raises. So the English are prejudice of the Métis and the Indian. In July 20, 1885, Riel was charged with treason. But many French speakers think Riel should not be found guilty of any charges. Is Riel guilty of treason? Should he be executed? Riel should be found innocent due to what he did to the Métis. He was a man who likes to found justice and equality to all people. He thought that if he keep fighting for his dream, his dream would come true.
Louis Riel should not be charge guilty of treason because of the following reasons. One of the reasons is that the trial is unfair. Originally, Riel was sent to Winnipeg to stand trial, however the government is afraid that there will be problems due to the mixed Métis and White juries in Winnipeg. The government feared the Métis would help Riel to lose the trial because Riel is also a Métis and he helped the Métis to gain their right. So the government sent Riel to Regina, where he would be judge by a group of white six-member juries. The nationality of the juries had great effects on the result of the trail because the white people don’t want to give power to the Métis. The white had considered the Métis as outsiders, like the French, this way Riel would be proven guilty for sure. Also the judge is really unfair. The judge rejected any request the lawyer of Riel had. The judge refused to give Riel the right to choose his own lawyer. The lawyer was hire by the government, fortunately he tried his best to help Riel. The defense wanted to send out witnesses such as Gabriel Dumont and Napoleon Nault and Deputy Minister of the Interior and Indian affair, but the Judge refuse to send out the defense witnesses. And the judge refused to grant a week of medical examination. This showed how the judge is unfair to the defense side. With all this unfairness, Riel should not be charge guilty.
There are reasons why Riel went against the government. He fight against the government to gain control over the land own by the “Hudson Bay Company”, which is called Rupert’s Land, it is because Canada want to buy the land from the “Hudson Bay Company” to add to the newly confederated Canada. But the Métis fear that the Canadian will drive them out of Rupert’s Land because of the Canadian Pacific Railway. The government in Ottawa fears the Métis to raise their plan, so they appointed William McDougall as the new governor of the Northwest Territory (including Rupert’s Land). But Riel notice that the Canadian don’t have legal right yet to enter Rupert’s Land, so the Métis and he seized Fort Garry to defend their territory. Riel try to give his option to the government by suggesting Provisional government in Rupert’s Land, instead of the Council of Assiniboia, but the government refuse to establish that kind of government. With the help of the Métis, Provisional government had establish in the Red River and the Rupert’s Land.
Riel had never try to use violence to solve the problem between the government and the Métis, he seized Fort Garry is only for defending the Métis territory. There should be no reason why Riel is charge guilty of treason in the Red River Rebellion because he is only giving out his opinion to the government to seek for a better live for both the Canadian and the Métis. He always stands for what he believe that is right, and there is nothing wrong with that believes.
Louis Riel was blame on the death of Tom Scott. But Scott’s death is really his own fault. Many of the Métis believe Tom Scott was responsible for the drowning death is a young Métis’ boy, but no one had said he is guilty, and he only put to jail for farther detail of this. When Tom Scott is in jail, he abuse the Métis’ guard and threaten the life is Riel. Also he try to agitate other prisoner to revolt against the Métis. Scott’s death is resulted by his abusing words and threatens of Riel’s life. So his death should not be blame to Riel. Riel is only trying to stop the anger of the Métis, because there might be wars started just by this reason.
In 1874, Riel said he started to hear god’s voices, telling him that he must rebel to the Canadian in order to save the Métis, and he was the only hope the Métis has. Most doctors think the voice of the god is cause by a mental illness, so Riel should not have to take any responsibility to any of his action after the illness started. Because of his mental illness, Riel tried to convince the Métis Buffalo Hunters to invade Western Canada. Although the Métis hunters refuse to help, Riel does not give up. He then prepares a Bill of Rights. Riel also seizes the church at Batoche and declared “Rome has fallen” in 1885. Riel can not control himself since he had a mental illness. So Riel should not take responsible to anything he did. His mental illness might even develop because he had lost his confidant of the Canadian government. Riel had been expelled from the House of Common three times because of political pressure. He also had exile from Canada by the government for five years in 1875. So his action should be accounted to his guilt.
Although Riel is executes, he will be remembered by every Canadian due to the respect of his will of creating an equality between the English speaker and the French speaker, or Francophone. Riel is now proclaimed as the Father of Confederation and Founder of Manitoba. The important contribution of Louis Riel had a major effect of Canada today. And he had claimed to be hero of all Francophone in every part of Canada. Riel had sacrifice himself to protect the tradition and culture of the Métis. Therefore, Riel should not be charge guilty to any of his sin.
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