Thursday, February 19, 2009

Assignment #8- Louis Reil

Ms. Pollock's Website



Other websites: http://library2.usask.ca/northwest/background/riel.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Reil

http://www.mysteriesofcanada.com/Canada/riel.htm

http://www.histori.ca/minutes/minute.do?id=10646



Introduction on Louis Riel:

Louis Riel is a very controversial figure some people considering him to be a traitor and some people considering him a hero. He was born the twenty second of October, 1844 to Louis Riel Sr and Julie Lagimodiere at the red river settlement. He went to the Catholic church St.Boniface training for priesthood until he was thirteen and then went to the College de Montreal in Montreal because he showed great potential in his academic studies and it was a better school for training to be come a priest. His father died in 1864 and he lost interest in becoming a priest and worked many odd jobs in Chicago Illinois until he returned to the red river settlement in 1868.When he returned to the red river settlement he found that great tensions between the Hudson's Bay Company and the Metis in the red river settlement because the Metis had no claims to their land and so Louis Riel took the Metis and surrounded Fort Gary and then captured it, this battle being the red river rebellion. After the red river rebellion the Canadian military were a little bit frightened by Louis Riel and offered him 1000 dollars to go into exile and they also gave his family 600 pounds, Louis moved into Montana in the united states and had two children while he was teaching at St.Peters Jesuit Mission. Louis Riel was hanged on the sixteenth of November 1885 for high treason because he fought some of the government militia who had 500 men with his 100 men using what we now know today as guerrilla warfare, Louis Riel will always be remembered as, sometimes a good, sometimes a bad memory.

Interview with Louis Riel ( I found Louis Riel's ghost and I thought he should be able to defend his actions):

Auguste: So Louis Riel can I ask you a few questions?

Louis Riel : Oh alright then but make it snappy I don't want to be late for lunch again.

Auguste: Oh, Okay. First Question : How did you get captured by the Canadian military if you were using guerrilla warfare and tactics.

Louis Riel: I did that because I wanted to protect my "city of god" (Batoche) and did not want the Canadian Military occupying it because it has so much spiritual value to me. This is what happened during the battle: we started shooting at them on the ninth of may and killing lots of them but not enough. They had 500 and we had a mere 100 men and they easily outnumbered us and killed some of us and we did the sensible thing on may twelfth to surrender as to prevent more bloodshed.

Auguste:Ah, I see. Sensible thinking there Louis Riel. Question number two: Why did you plead you were insane after your trial?

Louis Riel: Yes that is true I pleaded insanity but only in vain. I was not actually insane, I just pleaded insane to try to avoid death.I regretted very much that I dismissed my lawyer after he was trying to say I was insane to save my life, I regretted that decision very much but I was stubborn and I was try to look like a courageous hero in the eyes of all Canadians.

Auguste: Mhmm, I understand why you plead insanity as a last attempt to save your life right?

Louis Riel: Yes, that is correct.

Auguste: Okay Third question: Why did you execute Thomas Scott?

Louis Riel: I actually didn't execute Thomas Scott, that is a total rumor and the one who spread it is a total knucklehead. Thomas Scott got tried for insubordination and was guilty of defying the authority of the provisional government and was sentenced to death. Ten of the guards fired shots at Thomas Scott but only two hit him and he still wasn't dead. One of the guards went up to him and shot him in the head but he still wasn't dead, the captain of the guard left him to die a slow painful death in his coffin. I was present when all this happened but I never took part in any of it.

Auguste: Well, that puts an interesting turn on things thank you Louis Riel for letting us interview you.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Assignment #7

Here is my link to my teacher: Ms.Pollock's website: http://historypollock.blogspot.com/2009/02/assignment-7-canadian-personalities.html

a.) Which category of Canadian Personalities interested you the most? Did you like the "we inspired", "we founded", "we fought", "we built" or "we governed" section the best? Why?

The category of Canadian Personalities that interested me the most was the we built section. It was so interesting to me because it had people who I thought were the most important and most influential people in Canada(to me) who were on that site. For example David Thompson mapped pretty much all of north-west Canada and Jules Timmins who "made" the town of Timmins because of the high demand for gold miners in the gold mines of Timmins. Another two people who I thought were interesting were James Bernard Harkin and Samuel de Champlain who founded parks Canada and colonized North America respectively. Because of all these influential personalities I thought the we built section was the best.

b.) Which personality interested you the most? Why? Find an image of him or her to embed (add to the body of your post) and write, in your own words, a short description of what he or she did and why he or she is your favourite. If you get information from any source, you must credit it by creating a link to it (that includes information from the site that I've asked you to look at).

David Thompson's personality interested me the most. He mapped all on north-western Canada (the north-west territories )which was a great feat in itself. He started when he was just fourteen when he came from England to work for the Hudson's Bay Company. He walked, rode or went on horse back all through the northwest and mapped millions and millions of square kilometres. He got his information mostly by his own judgment and effort but he received a little help from the aboriginal people while he spent three decades mapping out all of North America.

c.) In your post, suggest three more influential Canadian personalities that could be added to this site. Why did you choose these people? Which categories would they fit into? Link to information about each of them.
If I were to suggest three more influential Canadian personalities to add to this site I would chose Wayne Gretzky, Maurice Richard and Kim Campbell. Wayne Gretzky I chose because I believe he is the only Canadian to be proclaimed the greatest ever at any sport and he influenced millions of Canadian children to play hockey , he would fit under the category we inspired http://www.gretzky.com/ . Maurice Richard would be put under we fought because he was the greatest hockey players of his time due to his speed and toughness yet he made minimum wage. He fought for the rights of french Canadians silently by playing great hockey and the NHL back then did many unjust things to french Canadians back then including decreased pay and less rights in hockey http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maurice_Richard . I think Kim Campbell was also a very influential Canadian because she was the first woman prime minister in the eighty's. In the eighties there was much discrimination and sexism against women and I think it is great that Canada in those times could look past all that and see the amount of leadership not the type of sex she is. She would go under We governed http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim_Campbell .

5. My vote for may favourite Canadian Personality was David Thompson.
7.d.) Which History-Maker did you have the most in common with? Were you able to figure it out from the clues given? What do you share with that person? What are some things that are different between you and that person?
The history maker I had most in common with is David Mctaggart. No I wasn't able to figure it out from the clues given because I have no idea who he is. I share that : we both have one sister, English was our first language, we are both athletes, we both have nicknames, we both care about the environment and we both love traveling to Europe. Some differences between us are: we were born in separate seasons, I never dropped out of school, I don't like squash or golf like he does, I don't fight many battles to protect the environment, I never founded an environmental organization and I have never been to Italy.
8 e.) One hundred years from now, (in 2109!) imagine that students are learning about Canadian History Makers and they discover you. What will you be remembered for? How were you a Canadian History Maker? You are using your imagination, so think about some things that you would like to accomplish in your life and imagine that you have all the accomplishments of your life to look back on. Write a short profile of yourself, imagining the contributions you have made to the future of Canada. (Write this as though you've lived your whole life. You may have been a phenomenal athlete, the first black Prime Minister, cured cancer...use your imagination!)
If I'm a big history maker I would probably make history for one of two reasons. First I might be a phenomenal soccer player and play in Manchester United and be the best ever. I will be known for my persistence and defensive skill never being beaten on a one on one situation. Another great thing I might do is set a world record for most visits to my doctors office because I will be well known for cheap efficient and thorough service. I will be a doctor who is kind generous persistent, skilled and efficient. These are the two possibilities that will happen to me if I am incredibly famous and world wide known and respected.

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Assignment #5

How early Canadians survived: One way the early Canadians survived was they thought about how bad the life in their homeland's were populated and crowded and the government almost had total control over the middle class or poorer people. They farmed alot when the weather permitted and hunted in the wind as they struggled not to die of starvation.

Some of the challenges early Canadians had to face due to the cold weather:In terms of diseases there were many bad ones such as cholera and smallpox that made hardships for the pioneers. The cold winter days went up to about minus thirty-five and they often died from diseases, starvation and things such as frostbite.

How early Canadians learned to deal with the extreme cold:Early Canadians learned to deal with the extreme cold in multiple ways : they wore warmer clothing, if the weather was extremely cold( about minus thirty they would be let into richer people houses to warm up. They tried to work very hard in the summer/spring/fall to store lots of food and firewood for the duration of the bitter cold winter ahead.

Find out why and how my family came to Canada:My father moved to Canada in 1992 to go to a good university.My mothers side of the family lived in Canada for hundred of years and where very poor up until my grandmother got an amazing education. They moved to Canada from England and France because of poverty the government and the bad way of life.

How my family learned to deal with the extreme cold: It was nothing new to them because they lived during the hard winters in France and England. The generations after they got used to the weather ever since birth and obviously hated the cold as myself and my friends do today.

Links to where I found my Info and 2 quotes: http://www.saskschools.ca/~gregory/settlers3.html from there: "Homesteaders had to produce their own food."

http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0006303
Quote from there: "As each new area of Canada was opened to European settlement, pioneers faced the difficult task of building homes and communities from the ground up."

http://americanhistory.suite101.com/article.cfm/the_pioneer_homestead
Quote from here: "When the Pioneers first headed west, they had precious few possessions with them. "

http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/premierescommunautes/jeunesse/021013-2051.6-e.html
Quote from here: "Despite the fact that the Native peoples had been living, hunting, fishing and raising crops on the "new" continent for thousands of years, in the sixteenth century the French king claimed the land in New France belonged to France."

http://www.thecanadapage.org/Regions.htm
Quote from here: "Newfoundland, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia are all of Canada's Atlantic Provinces. This is the part of Canada that the European explorers first came to and began to set up settlements. This area is both rich in natural resources and history."