Louis Riel And The Creation Of Modern Canada

"Jennifer Reid looks at the man known today as the founder of Manitoba. Not just a traditional biography, Reid examines Riel's education and religious beliefs."--[book jacket].

Louis Riel, perhaps the most controversial figure in Canadian history, emerged as a leader of the Metis which led to his death by hanging in 1885.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 187-188).

This book takes a look at Louis Riel from a historical perspective, examining the political and cultural ramifications of Riel's life for the citizens of Western Canada. As a revolutionary, as a religious prophet, and as a spokesman for the Metis people, Louis Riel changed the course of Canadian history.

The rise and fall of Louis Riel (1844-85) spanned only fifteen years, yet he is one of the most controversial and colourful people in Canadian history. The central figure in two rebellions, which he led on behalf of the French-speaking half-breeds called Metis, Riel has caught the imagination of Canadians as few other historical personalities have done. His career began with the acts of resistance at the Red River Settlement in 1869, and continued through the formation of a Provisional Government and the notorious shooting of Thomas Scott in 1870, through years of mental illness and exile in the United States, to the North West Rebellion of 1885. It reached an inevitable climax with his surrender and trial and the passionate outpouring of feeling that rocked the country when he was found guilty of treason and executed. The religious and racial emotions of the time, the bigotry and opportunism of politicians, and Riel's own unstable mental condition all combine to make of his life a Canadian tragedy, one that had profound consequences for Confederation.

Shining a spotlight on the life, vision, and cultivation of one of Canada's most influential historical figures.

What did happen to the body of Thomas Scott?The disposal of the body of Canadian history's most famous political victim is the starting point for historian J.M. Bumsted's new look at some of the most fascinating events and personalities of Manitoba's Red River Settlement.To outsiders, 19th-century Red River seemed like a remote community precariously poised on the edge of the frontier. Small and isolated though it may have been, Red River society was also lively, well educated, multicultural and often contentious. By looking at well-known figures from a new perspective, and by examining some of the more obscure corners of the settlement's history, Bumsted challenges many of the widely held assumptions about Red River. He looks, for instance, at the brief, unhappy Swiss settlement at Red River, examines the controversial reputation of politician John Christian Shultz, and delves into the sensational scandal of a prominent clergyman's trial.Vividly written, Thomas Scott's Body pieces together a new and often surprising picture of early Manitoba and its people.

A BIOGRAPHY OF THE CENTRAL FIGURE IN THE TWO METIS UPRISINGS OF EARLY CONFEDERATION, AND THE CONSEQUENCES OF HIS LIFE ON CANADA. (CANADIAN LIVES)