Phillippe Jaques Essay, Research Paper

When people hear the name Louis Riel, some fill up with anger, others fill up with a thankful sense of happiness, like me and my grandfather for example. Louis was Metis, this was the product of a Voyageur and Indian women having a child. The Metis were famed for their hunting and tracking abilities and were often employed individuals or groups as guides or interpreters. Their farming tradition had its roots in the Red River settlement of Manitoba. Following the massive exodus into Sasketchewan, the Metis again established farms and homesteads. The difficulties encountered by the Metis in gaining clear entitlement to their land and the intervention of land speculators when scrip was issued caused most Metis to lose possession of their farms. “York” boats played a major role in the fur trade industry as they replaced freight canoes on the main water systems of Canada in the late 19th century. They had a larger carrying capacity and required fewer men to operate them. This enabled furs to be transported faster and more economically than by canoe. It took eighteen men to run the York boats: a helmsman to give the orders for rowing, a man to steer and sixteen men to pull the oars. Sails were often used to catch favourable winds. The inland sailors who manned these boats were predominently the Metis men who worked for the fur companies. The The Voyageurs wanted to remain friends with these they married the Indian women. He was a man who stuck up for the rights of his people, such as my grandfather. In this essay I will tell you how Louis Riel contributed to the Confederation within the years 1869-1885, and how it affected my life.

I was born on a very cold night on November 16, 1867. I grew up in a very poor family, we barley had enough food for my four other brothers and sisters, and my grandmother. We had to take my grandmother in our home because my grandfather, at the time had to fight with the other metis people to try to get us some reasonable rights. My grandfather, Phillippe Jaques, looked up to, and respected Louis Reil greatly, that’s why Phillippe went through this journey with Louis. The reason that Phillippe respected Louis so much was because Louis Reil stood up for everything that he belived in.

In 1821 the Hudson Bay company had created a union with the first nations people. By this time the Hudson Bay company had ruled the praries. They were soon in the process of relinquishing its territory to the government. It was like an end to an era. English Protestants settled on the Forks near the Red River, these Canadians wanted this so they could obtain political and judicial structures with which were familiar with. The Metis believed that this would not favorway of life. Because of this, my family and i have been left with practacly nothing. In 1869 the Canadian government sent surveyors to the Red River area. The metis were very upset because the boundries of their narrow river lot farms were being ignored and changed into square blocks. Louis Riel had ordered them to stop, he was very upset about this. Very mad and defensive the Metis took over Fort Gary and usedas a headquarters. The Canadians who were there an didn’t want tower imprisoned.

Louis formed a provisional government to the colonies entrance into Confederation, he knew that the thoughts and ideas would be bypassed. A list of rights were made the government and sent to Ottawa. The prisoners would be let free if interfered with the provisional government. One of the prisoners planed an attack however, Thomas Scott was then recaptured and.received the list of rights and had passed the Manitoba Act May 23, 1870. Manitoba was entered as the fifth province on July, 1870.

In 1884 he was asked by a Mr. Gabriel Dumont to come because the Indians were starving and the Metis landsrights were being messed with. He agreed and went back to his rebels to them fight the government with the help of the Indian Chiefs Big Bear and Poundmaker. Eight thousand troops were organized to fight rebels, they fought at Duck lake, Fish Creek, and Batoche. During the battle Louis surrendered to a General Middleton. He was tried and found guilty. On November 16,1885 he was hanged. My grandfather was very devistated after this event took place. Acording to my grandfather, Louis Reil shouldn’t have been executed. My grandfather, Phillippe Jaques, thought that for what he did for his people he should not have been executed, but the fact that he was makes the whole issue all the more important and spiritual. He died to make life easier for his fellow metis and in the process he established Manitoba as a province.

My grandfather passed away two weeks after Louis Riel was hanged. Because he fought in the battle at Duck Lake, Fish Creek and Batoche, He was hunted down by some of the remaining rebels and severly beaten. As a result of the beating, he suffered many health problems, too many to count, and he couldnt pull through. My family and I don’t mourn his death, we celebrate his life. We also tell many people about him and his hero, Louis Riel. We will never forget either of these influential figures in my life, Louis Riel was like a second grandfather to me. I hope that in the future people will learn about him and understand why he did the things he did.