HIST 2500 Lecture Notes - Lecture 12: Fenian Raids, Wolseley Expedition, Irish Republicanism
12 Jan 2017
School
Department
Course
Professor
1
Thursday December 1, 2016
Canadian History: Pre-Confederation
Week 12
Consolidating the Canadian Empire
Joining Confederation
• 1867 just 4 provinces; Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia
• Persuade countries to unite were the Reciprocity treaty (1854), for free
trade in some areas
• Britain disengagement from its colonies in North American colonies
• Final factor that pushed these colonies together were the Fenian Raids
• Fenian’s were Irish republicans who lived in the United States who were
protesting England’s conquest of Ireland. Wanted Ireland to be a free
independent sate separate from Britain
Imperialism
• 3 primary goals
• 1. Conquering of territory
• 2. Control of resources – minerals, timber, fish, furs
• 3. Control of people within those newborns
• Goal was to expand the boundaries of this new nation state to three ocean
shores
• Expansion involved negotiation and violence
Key Points
• National Policy
• Louis Riel
• John A. Macdonald
• 1870 Manitoba Act
• Numbered treaties
• Indian Act
• 1869-70: Red River Resistance
• 1885: Northwest Uprisings
Annexing Rupert’s Land
• Rupert’s Land: parts of this territory were agriculturally productive, to create
a vast Canadian empire
• 1869-70: Rupert’s Land sold to Canadian government for 300,000 pounds
• This land has a substantial Metis and aboriginal population
The Red River Resistance
• Annexation of Rupert’s Land with no consultation
• Ignored residents of Red River
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
2
• 1869: Canadian surveyors arrive at Red River
• Louis Riel was born in Red River 1844
• Studied in Montreal – bilingual and a natural leader
• Returned to Red River in 1868
• October 1869: Métis block Canadian surveyors
• Governor James McDougall blocked from entering Red River
• McDougall appointed a governor
• November 1869: Métis capture Upper Fort Gary
• Canadian Party
• 8 Dec 1869: Riel forms provisional government
• Intent on government was to create one that would have to negotiate with
• Red River join Canada as a province, if red river didn’t agree then they would
became a state in the United States or become independent
• 2 negotiators sent to talk with provisional government
• Wolseley Expedition – took 2 years to get there
• Donald Smith sent to buy off Métis – McGonall tried to strategize
• Provincial government of red river had 5 main depends for inclusion
1. Wanted territory to have provincial status
2. Also have representation in Ottawa and the house of commons
3. Asked for expanding voting rights would have rights for Metis and
Aboriginal people
4. Asked for province to be bilingual and include denominational school
5. Demanded land rights be respected and maintained or if the land was to
be sold then they would be compensated
• Changed on March 4th, 1870: Execution of Thomas Scott
➢ New province was created
Reaching the Pacific
• British did not create a crown colony until 1849, they discovered Vancouver
as a crowned colony
• 1858: BC founded as Crown Colony
• 1866: BC and Vancouver Island united
• BC wanted to have some sort of connection to the rest of Canada; so they
asked for a wagon route
• Canadian government promised to build a transcontinental railway to benefit
them
• In exchange for the railway federal government asked to be given a belt of
land
• Promise of transcontinental railway
• July 20, 1871: BC joins Confederation
The National Policy
• Pacific Scandal
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Joining confederation: 1867 just 4 provinces; ontario, quebec, new brunswick and nova scotia, persuade countries to unite were the reciprocity treaty (1854), for free trade in some areas. Wanted ireland to be a free: 2. Control of resources minerals, timber, fish, furs: 3. Control of people within those newborns: goal was to expand the boundaries of this new nation state to three ocean, 3 primary goals, 1. Conquering of territory shores: expansion involved negotiation and violence. John a. macdonald: 1870 manitoba act, numbered treaties, 1869-70: red river resistance, 1885: northwest uprisings. In exchange for the railway federal government asked to be given a belt of land: promise of transcontinental railway. 3: 1878: macdonald returns to power, protective tariffs, components, immigration, transcontinental railway, national policy promoted immigration and free land grants for people to settle in western canada to connect them had to build a railway. Imposed patrilineal law: assimilation, limited legal and civil rights.
