Sir John Alexander Macdonald

Several times in history, there have been leaders whose actions were criticized by their citizens, but sometimes those actions can end up benefiting the country. On July 1st, 1867, Sir John Alexander Macdonald was elected into the Canadian Government as the first Prime Minister and three years later he purchased Rupert’s Land, which includes settlement of many First Nations including the Metis at Red River. When Macdonald tried to expand westward, the Metis and their leader, Louis Riel, tried to stop Canada from surveying the land. This resistance led to the Red River rebellion in 1869 and the exile of Riel to the US. Fifteen years later he came back to Canada and started petitioning. In 1885, there was a second rebellion which led to the trial …show more content…
The Canadian government sent surveyors to plot out pieces of land for resale. The Metis decide to fight back and they turn away a survey team. Macdonald became frustrated and as a response sent Lieutenant Governor of the Northwest territories, William Macdougall. As said by Macdonald "I anticipate that he (Macdougall) will have a good deal of trouble, and it will require considerable management to keep those wild people quiet." This furthers the point that Macdonald saw the Metis as a barrier to the CPR and Confederation (Jackson, 2015). When Macdougall and his large entourage arrived at the territorial boundary, they were turned away by a group of Metis. The Metis struck back and on November 2, 1869, when Riel and a group of Metis take over Fort Garry. The result of this mistreatment was the Red River Rebellion where Riel was exiled. Several years later when he returned, he started petitioning and tried to be peaceful, but the government didn’t respond. This all led to the second rebellion where Riel was captured, charged with high treason and executed. Throughout both rebellions Riel wanted to be peaceful and did not want to make any violent moves. As best said by Riel "I was not taken prisoner. I surrendered on purpose. I want to be judged on the merits of my actions. ... From the time of my arrival in …show more content…
This was the case in 1885 when the government of Canada defeated the Metis resistance and gained control of their land, but this was necessary in order to complete the Canadian Pacific Railway. In 1871 British Columbia joined confederation, but with the promise that a transcontinental railway would be built within 10 years of them joining. On June 28, 1886, the first train left Montreal and arrived at Port Moody, British Columbia on July 4, 1886. By 1891 the CPR had secured a contract with the British government to transport mail from Hong Kong to Great Britain through Canada. It was necessary for Macdonald to use the Metis land because this would allow for the most direct route between East Canada and West Canada, but this railway could not be built while the Metis still had full control over the land. For these reasons stated above the treatment of the Metis was Justifiable in order for the completion of the