THE NORTHWEST TO 1870. THE HUDSON’S BAY CO. Founded by Radisson and Groseilliers. Granted Royal...
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THE NORTHWEST TO 1870
THE NORTHWEST TO 1870. THE HUDSON’S BAY CO. Founded by Radisson and Groseilliers. Granted Royal Charter - exclusive trade rights. ‘Stay by the Bay’ policy
THE HUDSONS BAY CO. Founded by Radisson and Groseilliers.
Granted Royal Charter - exclusive trade rights. Stay by the Bay
policy. Strict standards little room for barter. Worked for
salaries. Often had better quality goods. No booze and no
fraternizing.
Slide 3
HUDSONS BAY CO. RUPERTS LAND All lands drained by rivers
flowing into Hudsons Bay (1/3 Can.) Made Beaver (MB) became common
currency. Ice free ports from July to Sept. made trade swift and
precise. Mb in Canada Like cigarettes In prison.
Slide 4
THE NORTH WEST CO. - French Can. Traders that went to the
Natives. - Emerged from the Montrealers. - Worked on commission and
were much more aggressive. - Hiverants (wintering partners) stayed
in the Northwest. - Fraternizing more common and marriages
occurred. - Voyageurs (the muscle) paddled and transported the
goods. - More willing to dicker and often used alcohol. Ft. William
- Main trading post Ft. William Trading Post
Slide 5
THE NORTH WEST CO. Fort William was established at head of Lake
Superior. These headquarters also had to be time specific as winter
froze rivers. The NWCo. moved inland and made trade easier for the
Natives. Several inland posts were constructed.
Slide 6
TRANSPORTATION YORK BOAT - HBCo. double ended wood boat. -
carried up to 3-6000kiograms. - heavy & hard to portage. - 13
meters long / sail or paddle. CANOTS DU NORD/MAITRE -NWCo. Canoes -
7-11m long. - up to 4000 kilograms. -Made of birch bark. -Smaller
but more portable for portages. Canot du Maitre Canot du Nord
Slide 7
THE NATIVE PEOPLES OF THE NORTHWEST Home of four aboriginal
nations. The Ojibwa, the Assiniboine, the Cree, and the Chipewyan.
The inuit were further north. Natives became so involved in the fur
trade that it disrupted their tradtional way of life. Became the
middle men of the fur trade. Contact with Europeans resulted in
disease. Smallpox and measles.
Slide 8
THE NATIVE PEOPLES OF THE NORTHWEST The Assiniboin The
Chipewyan
Slide 9
THE BATTLE FOR THE FUR TRADE 1800-1810 HBCo. & NWCo. Fur
trade battle grew fierce. Furs become scarce & posts moved
farther and farther inland (as far west as B.C.) The race for the
west was on.
Slide 10
THE METIS (French for mixed) The NWCo. encouraged
native/European marriages. It secured trading rights and helped
hiverants lifestyle. Many lived in the Red River Valley and
combined both Native and European lifestyles. Buffalo hunts
Pemmican Sold to NWC Seigneurial land patterns Farmers
COLONY ON THE RED RIVER Enclosure brought Scottish farmers to
N. America. Selkirk was director of the HBCo. and felt he could
give Scottish farmers a home & supply HBCo. workers with food.
Convinced HBCo. to give him 300 000 sq. km. => Selkirks Grant.
Nobody even considered the people already living there. Scottish
Enclosures - farmers forced to leave, as land was more valuable for
grazing sheep. Selkirk
Slide 15
PROBLEMS FACED BY RED RIVER SETTLERS Nobody even considered the
people already living there. Scottish not used to harsh winters.
Macdonells farmers arrived too late to prepare for winter. Farmers
first crops were failures. Pemmican proclamation ordered to feed
settlers. NWCo. retaliated against Pemmican proclamation.
Slide 16
HBCo. Settlers vs. NWCo. Metis The confrontations escalated to
the legendary Battle of Seven Oaks. Twenty one colonists and one
Metis would die. It would bring the dispute to a full scale
conflict. Selkirk hired Swiss mercenaries to help return the
settlers for a third Time and made a deal with the local First
Nations to lease the land for 100 lbs of tobacco per year. Selkirk
would later return to England and died while fighting several court
cases regarding his Red River settlement. Cuthbert Grant led the
Metis in a fight to regain their land
Slide 17
The Merger of the HBC and the NWC (1821) As the pelts declined
the two fur trading companies had to merge => The Hudsons Bay
Company. George Simpson was put in charge. He became known as the
Little Emperor. Social elitists => his new wife refused to
socialize with the locals. Note - Simpson had his original Metis
family removed before his new bride arrived- Turn-Off. George
Simpson Frances Simpson
Slide 18
THE RED RIVER SETTLEMENT 1821-1860 For next 40 yrs. peaceful
& stable self-sufficient community. By 1860, 80% mixed descent.
Built around the needs of the HBC. To this day, Winnipeg St. is The
widest street in Can. It was built to fit ten Red River Carts. Red
River Cart Red River Rich Farm Land
Slide 19
Le commerce est libre! Vivre la liberte By 1840, the Metis
fought for the right to trade furs. Judge Adom Thom, found four
Metis fur traders guilty of trading fur but ordered no sentence.
The HBCs monopoly had been broken. Le commerce est libre! Vivre la
liberte Business is open! Long live freedom Adam Thom
Slide 20
CHANGES IN RED RIVER 1860-1870 Canada became a dominion.
Canadians moved west to fertile soils of Red River. Most were
protestant members of the Orange Order (anti-French / anti-Catholic
/ anti-Metis).=> tensions rose. Dr. John Schultz angered Metis
with his NorWester Economic problems. Crop failures. Bison
disappearing. HBC losing interest. Metis had no legal claim to
land. Dr. John Schultz Farmers start moving West (Most were
protestant anti-Fr.)
Slide 21
CANADA PURCHASES RUPERTS LAND
Slide 22
MacDonald buys HBC Ruperts Land, for his sea to sea nation.
Became part of NW Territory. No one consults Metis farmers They
have no legal claim to the land. In 1868, surveyors arrive to
layout township grids. Seigneurial land patterns were not
recognized Land speculators soon follow the surveyors. Tensions
rose and Louis Riel takes on leadership of the Metis. Seigneurial
land patterns were not recognized. LOUIS RIEL
Slide 23
THE RED RIVER REBELLION A. Riel began by forming the Metis
National Committee to fight for the Metis land. B.Riel then met
with Governor McDougall but when things did not Go well he took
control and seized munitions from Fort Garry. C. Riel established
his Provisional Government to protect the Metis rights. He wanted
to negotiate and had no intentions of rebelling against Canada.
Riels Provisional Government Sometimes the best defence is a good
offence.!! Munitions @ Ft Gary
Slide 24
THE REBELLION (cont.) Schultz led the anti-Metis Canadian
Party. Riel created the Metis List of Rights and set off to
Schultzs home where he captured and held 48 of his followers at
Fort Garry. MacDonald refused to negotiate with half breeds. Fort
Garry Schultz would escape, but while trying to free other
prisoners, several men,including Thomas Scott would be captured
again. Schultz MacDonald Thomas Scott
Slide 25
What would you do with Thomas Scott? Riels Provisional
Government Thomas Scott
Slide 26
THE EXECUTION OF THOMAS SCOTT While captive Thomas Scott was
verbally and physically abusive & threatened the life of Riel.
On March 4, he would be executed by firing squad. By March 9, Riel
had talked to Ottawa and things seemed to settle as Canada was
ready to discuss a new province for the Metis. Unfortunately,
Schultz had made his way east and had made a martyr out of Thomas
Scott. The Orange Order was furious and rallied around the
execution. Despite six shooters, Scott still lived and a seventh
shot was needed. Thomas Scott
Slide 27
MANITOBA CREATED By April, MacDonald was willing to compromise.
- 200 000 hectares of land for the Metis =>Manitoba. - Colonel
Wolseley & 1200 men to sent to keep the peace. -Riel and his
men were not be recognized as an official government. Riel fled
Canada for the USA and was banished from Canada for five years. His
men would later be granted amnesty. Manitoba 1870
Slide 28
Thomas Scott Execution Use your textbook Horizons 2 nd Ed. p.
157-163. Do Page 163 #4. You are a resident of the Red River
Settlement in 1870. Thomas Scott was executed yesterday. In a poem,
letter, cartoon, or picture, describe your feelings about this
event. You could take the viewpoint of a Metis, a colonist, or a
member of the Orange Order. 10 Marks