Red River Rebellion

Definition of Red River Rebellion

The Canada social science dictionary [1] provides the following meaning of Red River Rebellion: A revolt during 1869-70 of the settlers and Metis of what is now Manitoba. In 1867-68 the government of Canada negotiated the purchase of the lands owned by the Hudson Bay Company without consulting with the residents of the territories involved (the largest group were French speaking Metis). This annexation led to fears, particularly among the French-speaking and Catholic Metis, that language, religious and education rights would be lost. The residents declared a provisional government in direct opposition to the federal government’s wishes and this led to negotiations resulting in the creation of the province of Manitoba and established French language rights, acknowledgment of the tenure of existing farms and the promise of millions of acres of land to settle Metis land claims. Metis peoples prefer to refer to these events as acts of resistance rather than a rebellion. See: METIS / NORTHWEST REBELLION OF 1885 in this legal dictionary and in the world encyclopedia of law.

Red River Rebellion: Resources

Notes and References

• Drislane, R., & Parkinson, G. (2016). (Concept of) Red River Rebellion. Online dictionary of the social sciences. Open University of Canada