Louis Riel, Madman Bibliography

• Brown, Chester. Louis Riel, A Comic Strip Biography. First paperback edition. Vancouver, BC, Canada: Drawn & Quarterly, 2006. Print. 
• Famous Trials, Louis Riel Trial, 1885. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Dec 2010. <http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/riel/riel.html>. 

William Lyon Mackenzie's Facebook Page

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Louis Riel Essay PLAN!

Thesis statement: Louis Riel led the Metis people in a historical rebellion, but Louis Riel was a madman.

1. Nervous Breakdown Stuff

• in 1875 Riel suffered a nervous breakdown. This was shortly after being granted the amnesty he had been striving for, the only condition being that he leave, "Her Majesty's domain," for five years.
• Riel had finally submitted to insanity after permitting the murder of Thomas Scott. Riel had been holding him captive for a while, and Scott had been a troublesome prisoner, yelling racist comments to the Metis guard. Soon Riel's people wanted him to execute Scott, but Riel didn't. He knew it would give the government cause for war, but he also knew that as long as Scott lived, the enemy had a cause to ralley around. So on March 4th, 1870, Thomas Scott was killed by a firing squad. That decision haunted Riel for the rest of his life.   
• Riel was admitted to a hospital at Longue Point, Montreal as, "Louis R. David."
• There the doctors struggled with him, he constantly ripped up all his clothes, believing that the spirit of charity had told him that, "one who is good must show himself naked."
• he was later transferred to a mental asylum in Beauport as, "Louis La Rochelle."

2. Religion

• Riel became obsessed with his religion, and believed that he was the prophet of the new world. 
• He was convinced that his mission was to establish a new North American Catholicism, with Bishop Bourget of Montreal as Pope of the New World.
• decided upon the name, "David," because of King David in the Bible.
• During battles he would not fight, instead he sat upon his horse holding a crucifix above his head, praying, or walking around to his men and reading aloud from the Bible and praying for them.

3. Trial and Execution Crazies

•  Riel gave himself up, after fighting (or praying through) many battles, he decided to surrender himself to the government of Canada. He had a chance to escape to the United States, but instead chose to give himself up, sure that he would not be hanged.
• When Riel was charged with treason in 1885, his lawyers wanted to defend him on grounds of insanity. Riel denied his insanity, but upon being examined by physicians, it was decided by one that he was entirely insane. 
• At his trial Riel denied most of what his lawyers were saying in his defense, and because of this he was sentenced to be executed November 16th, 1885.
• The jury delivered the sentence, saying, "We (the jury) tried Louis Riel for treason, but he hanged for the murder of Thomas Scott." This shows that the jury knew he was insane, and understood that Scott's murder was Riel's biggest mistake, as well as his biggest weakness.

The Rebellions of Upper and Lower Canada

Upper and Lower Canada both had problems with their governments, and the people of both parts felt neglected by their leaders, but for different reasons. In Upper Canada, the settlers weren't satisfied with how the land was being divided up; the crown and clergy both owned reserves surrounded by walls which blocked many routes, and prevented road construction. The Family Compact was also buying up all of the good land, then selling it for a profit, so not only could the settlers not obtain their own land, but they also couldn't afford to buy at the speculators' high prices. In Lower Canada there weren't really problems with land so much as with assimilation. Lower Canada's population was made up mostly of French settlers, but was ruled by a lot of English nobility. The French became very concerned that the English were trying to wipe out their culture because the oligarchy, the Chateau Clique, was made up of English-speaking men. These men were slowly changing the way of life for the French. They changed their seigneurial system to a more free land-owning system, and in 1847 the French became convinced that the English were trying to kill them, because that was when the Irish, many of whom were sick with cholera, arrived in Quebec.
So although the two separate parts of Canada were unsatisfied for different reasons, they both took action the same way, because they thought the English wouldn't have the forces to defeat both sides. In Upper Canada, Willilam Lyon Mackenzie bought a newspaper called The Colonial Advocate, in which he wrote and published articles criticizing everything about the Family Compact and government of Upper Canada. The people chose Mackenzie to lead them in the rebellion, and in 1828 he was elected as a member of the Legislative Assembly. The people in Lower Canada had a leader, too. His name was Louis-Joseph Papineau, and he was a very talented public speaker. He wrote up a paper called, "The Ninety-Two Resolutions,"and submitted it to the governor, but they refused everything he asked.
Eventually the rebels of Upper Canada and the rebels of Lower Canada began to contact each other, and they planned an attack. Unfortunately, it was very poorly planned, and both sides were easily defeated. The leaders of both, Mackenzie and Papineau, escaped to the United-States, Papineau dressed as a woman. Although both sides ended up losing, the rebellions they left lasting effects on Canada, and will always be remembered.

Vocabulary Words

1. Representative government – A representative government is one in which representatives are elected by people to make laws on their behalf.
2. responsible government – responsible government can be voted out if elected representative fail to please a majority of the people who elected them.
3. oligarchy – power is placed in the hands of a small group of rich and influential men
4. democracy – these governments are representative and responsible
5. Constitutional Act – A law that separated Upper Canada from Lower Canada and established an elected law-making assembly, a governor and two appointed councils  (1791)
6. veto – To stop something with authority i.e. to veto a law is to cancel the law without having to confer with anyone
7. Family Compact – Small group of rich business people in Upper Canada – the Council was made up of members of the Family Compact.
8. Chateau Clique – Same as the Family Compact but in Lower Canada.
9. Legislative Assembly – An elected law-making body of men
10. governor – The head of the government in the Canadian colonies appointed by the British Crown.
11. appointed – Selected by a higher authority.
12. elected – Voted in by the majority of the voting public.

Making A Difference PLAN!

My plan for this week is going to revolve primarily around recycling, because it is something that I can do all week long and that I think is very important. However, I am also interested in the slave-free chocolate idea, as well as writing to the editor of an article on environmental issues. So, starting on Monday, October 25th, and going until Sunday, October 31st, I am going to recycle as much as I possibly can, and work hard to make sure my family and friends do so too. I think that asking a store if they carry slave-free chocolate or coffee is a great idea, I think it would show them that customers are interested in where products come from, not just that they're there to buy. It also sounds like fun, so I will probably do it on Saturday, October 30th, with a friend if possible. Because it is so close to Halloween, many stores will be carrying chocolate, so it will be a good day to ask. I also plan on purchasing a bar of slave-free chocolate next Sunday, October 31st, at church, where they sell slave-free coffee and chocolate after the service. Writing a letter to the editor of an environmental article would also be fun, so I would probably try to find a good article on Tuesday, October 26th, after school, and write to the editor about some of the issues they are addressing by Thursday, October 28th. There are also two things that I am proud to have done already: in 2007 my family planted a tree, and several weeks ago I volunteered at a soup kitchen, so I'm happy to have done that and would love to do so again sometime. I hope all goes according to plan this week, and I am able to contribute as much as possible to the health of our environment.

    

What I Can Do To Make A Difference

To me, making a difference sounds like a lot of work, time, and effort, but I always forget about the simple things that everyone can do every day. At home and at school I make sure to recycle as much as I can, so I would like to focus on that as the main thing I do this week. Recycling has such a positive impact on our planet, but I see people all the time who are too lazy to walk an extra ten steps to the recycling bin, so their plastics, foil, or paper, end up in the garbage. I can't complain at people, I've done this too, but this week I want to make an effort to make sure that not only my recycling, but my friends' recycling also ends up where it should be, and not in the garbage. I think this is something that is super important and that more people should be aware of, because the little pieces all add up, and not everything is biodegradable. So, recycling is going to be a big part of my plan for the week, and hopefully I will remain aware of its importance for even longer.

The Day Ellie Flipped

Once upon a time there was this crazy kid named Ellie. She was kind of a weirdo,  but nobody judged her. They just laughed. With her, of course. She would run through the school hallways singing "PRAISE THE LORD!" And occasionally she would throw in a, "HALLELUJAH!" maybe even an, "AMEN!" if it was a good day.
But Tuesday, November 45th, was the day Ellie flipped. She didn't run through the halls like a maniac anymore. Instead, she sat calmly at her desk, thinking about politics in the turtle world. That is right my friends, she decided to run for turtle-president!
How should she go about running for turtle-president you ask? Well, she made a bunch of posters and buttons and bumper stickers, and her friend Emily made coasters. On the day of the big election, though, Ellie found out she forgot to actually sign up for turtle-president, which meant all those coasters were for naught. Ellie didn't mind too much, she went back to her crazy ways, but Emily, who was left with over 145 billion coasters, was devastated! So, Emily decided to run for unicorn-president. But that's a different story....
And so young Ellie was left to live her crazy flipped but now back to normal life. The End!!!!!!!!
And PS, Ellie was now a young KAK of two hundred and forty three, so she died the next day. The End.
PPS this has nothing to do with socials. Unless we decide to study turtle politics. The End for good.

Exxon Valdez Oil Spill

On March 24th, 1989, an oil tanker traveling to Los Angeles from Valdez ran aground on Bligh Reef, in Prince William Sound, Alaska. Helmsman Robert Kagan was steering the tanker at the time, for unexplained reasons he had traded positions with Helmsman Harry Claar. Claar had taken the tanker out of the usual shipping lanes to avoid ice, on captain's orders. When Kagan took over, he failed to re-direct the tanker back into the shipping lanes, causing the ship to hit the reef. Eight of eleven tanks were damaged, and within 6 hours almost 11 million gallons of oil had spilled into the ocean. Two clean-up methods that were known to be 98% effective were decided upon, dispersements and surface-burning, but on March 26th, 1989 a storm came that turned most of the oil into a mousse-like substance, and new clean-up methods had to be found. Skimmers were employed, but their pumps had difficulty with the thick oil, so vaccuums also had to be brought in. The clean up took over three years and $2.1 billion. The Exxon Valdez oil spill harmed countless habitats and killed millions of living organisms, and the long-term effects are still being study today.

Canadian Identity Test

What makes me Canadian? I think that the most important characteristic of Canadians is pride, and I am definitely very proud to live in such a unique country. Canada is a full of so many different cultures and races, and I think that part of being Canadian is accepting and experiencing as many of these cultures as possible. I am always interested in field trips to Chinatown or First Nations speakers, because they represent the Cultural Mosaic that is Canada. I also believe that all Canadians are very polite, and I hope I'm no exception. I know that Canadian politeness is a stereotype in other countries, and I think it's true because whenever my family goes to the United States people recognize us as Canadians. I also think that an important part of Canadian Identity is our peaceful nature. We are the country that helps people during wars instead of fighting, and I think that reflects on us citizens as well, because I am a peaceful person, just like most other Canadians. Overall, I think that Canadian Identity for me means polite and peaceful, but still a very strong country with proud citizens.