Megan MacGregor
Ms. Ross
Social Studies 10
April 25, 2016
The Northwest Rebellion
The Northwest Territories, settled by First Nations, Metis, and White people, had widespread issues affecting everyone living there. The Canadian government was slow to hand out land grants, or scrips, to people they were pushing off the land. Moreover, the Metis were worried that their rights would not be listened to in government. These Metis were often forced to move to farming because new settlements had disrupted the bison hunt. Furthermore, the government of Canada did not satisfy terms of the treaties they had signed with First Nations. Their promises of farming equipment and assistance were denied and many bands suffered from starvation. Although some of the acts committed by the people of the Northwest could be considered those of resistance, the responses from many Northwest citizens should be considered a rebellion because they were armed, organized acts directly against the government.
The people of the Northwest committed many acts that could be classified as acts of resistance. Unarmed and not acts directly against their government, these events influenced the uprising and show that not everything that happened had rebellious intent. During the battle of Cut Knife Hill, the Cree people, led by Chief Poundmaker, were forced to defend themselves against the Canadian militia. This is an act of resistance because they were attacked, and fighting was simply a way of protecting themselves. Another act of resistance was when Louis Riel set up a provisional government. This was to keep peace and order in the area, and was not armed, therefore was not an act of rebellion. Riel wanted to show the area could have a responsible government and since the Canadian government would not grant them their own government. Additionally, when Poundmaker’s people were running out of food, he went to Battleford to talk to the government agent who was there. The government agent refused to talk to Poundmaker about these problems. This is an act of resistance because it was just a way for Poundmaker to help his people, and had no violent intent to it. The people of the Northwest were being denied basic rights they had been promised. In some cases, these promises were made through treaties, but denied just the same. These acts of resistance had intentions of getting the government to realize that the rights of the northwest were just as important as the provinces of Canada’s. When some of these resistant tactics failed to change anything, the Northwest were forced to resort to more rebellious activities.
When resistance did not work, many of the Northwest Metis, First Nations, and White people had to turn to rebellious events to prove their point. One such battle, the Battle at Duck Lake, was an organized, armed battle against the North West Mounted Police on March 26, 1885. The Metis attacked Superintendent Crozier and the NWMP. They then proceed to destroy Fort Carlton. In another instance, Cree chief Poundmaker and his people raid Battleford after the government agent there refused to talk to them about food shortages. During the Battle at Frog Creek, Cree Chief Big Bear and his men attack the fort, killing 9 including the government agent there. All three of these events are rebellious because the attacks killed government agents and were armed conflict. During the battle at Batoche, the Metis, led by Riel and Dumont, attack the Canadian militia and eventually run out of ammunition, forcing them to turn to stones and nails instead. At the Battle of Frenchman’s Butte, Big Bear and his men fight the Canadian Militia and flee. A few days later, Big Bear, accompanied by his son, surrenders. These battles all attempted to gain the attention of the Canadian government, whose refusal to listen to peaceful complaints ultimately led to the Northwest Rebellion. The Canadian government was forced to spend millions of dollars on this problem and it caused widespread fear for, and of, the Northwest. In conclusion, most of the events taking place during the Northwest uprising were rebellion, for their violent intent. These acts resulted in the death of many government officials, and were open, organized acts directly against the Canadian government.
The Northwest Uprising is a product of the mistreatment received by the citizens of the Northwest from the Canadian Government. In spite of the few acts that can be regarded as acts of resistance, the uprising should be remembered in history as a rebellion for the disposition of the acts committed against the government. This rebellion, although caused by the people of the Northwest, was truly created and fueled by the Canadian government, whose refusal to fulfill promises caused mass amounts of anger and distrust. It is important to note that the government of Canada could have, in fact, proactively stopped this rebellion. If the government had granted the Northwest a responsible government that listens to their needs, Canada may have saved money and lives.