Louis Riel- Victim of the Frontier essays

Louis Riel- Victim of the Frontier essays In society a man is judged on the actions he makes and the decisions he follows through with. A man of great nature was Louis Riel, whose strong beliefs with an undying love for his western Mtis heritage and until this day many still question his character and life. Louis Riels existence revolved around constant revolt within the time periods of the 1870s and 1880s. It was a period of rapid change in western Canada where the Mtis buffalo herds were being exterminated, treaties were being overlooked, the Canadian Pacific Railway was built and a wave of immigrants flooded the prairies. Indian and Metis people found it hard to give up their freedom and settle into a lifestyle dependent on agriculture when they had been accustomed to a semi-nomadic lifestyle. The Canadian government seemed unresponsive to the pleas of the Metis people for help which left them unrepresented in their struggle for the right to their land and the freedom to make decisions for themselves. Louis Riel faced a b ias courtroom and a rushed justice system who wanted to quickly dispose of his presence, an exaggerated punishment for returning to Canada to make peace with a petition, being incorrectly accused as a traitor and an unworthy punishment due to the death of Thomas Scott. Through analysis of many texts it will be proven that he was a hero who was punished falsely which ultimately made him the most remembered victim of the frontier. Riels injustice began with the final moments of Thomas Scotts life which had to be one of the most evident issues to express how Louis Riel was falsely accused and punished for something he did not commit. When a group of loyalists made an attack on the Mtis at Fort Garry, Louis Riel and his men captured Thomas Scott and imprisoned him as a traitor and a man who can be dangerous to their well being. Riel decided to have him shot instead of keeping him as a captive which he had...