Was Louis Riel’s Trial Just, and Fair? Louis Riel's trial was unjust. The government cheated the justice system to get the outcome they wanted. Even though Riel was mentally unstable, his cause was justified. The Canadian government cheated the justice system by moving the trial from Manitoba to Regina. The jury was all white and anglophone which benefitted the government. It should have been a mix of metis, white, anglophone, and francophone. Riel was admitted to a mental asylum in Quebec and stayed there for 19 months. The part owner of the asylum, Dr. François-Elzéar Roy testified that Riel had a mental illness called Megalomania. Many other witnesses testified saying he isn’t in control of himself, and not responsible. One said “I
Louis Riel (1844-1885) On November 16, 1885, 41 year old Louis David Riel was executed. Riel was born on October 22nd , 1844 in Saint-Boniface, Red river settlement. Louis Riel was the oldest child out of the eleven children his parents, Louis Riel Sr and Julie Lagimodière had. Growing up Louis Riel was a smart student.
Certainly, the case exposed the underhanded method of tax evasion as a means in which to punish Desmond for violating the invisible cods of conduct in the private sector venue of the Roseland Theater. The legal judgment of owing “one cent” for a tax violation was the ultimate decision of the court. This “echo” of the Jim Crow laws defines the underlying resistance to desegregation in Nova Scotia, which made an impact on the social consciousness of the people. The judgment of the courts in relation to the purchase of a ticket, which would eventually galvanize the Civil Rights Movement in Canada. These factors define the sentencing of the Desmond case as another means in which a racially motivated legal institution would lay the foundations for Civil Rights actions against these underhanded methods of legal enforcement of racism in
The jury was made up of French speaking Protestants and the judge was from Ontario. The British court was also prejudiced. That’s why I don’t think Riel got justice from the government.
Riel’s counsel defended Him on the grounds of insanity, pointing to the time he spent in asylums in the late 1870s. However, Riel wished to pursue a claim of self-defence instead, arguing that Métis actions in both 1870 and 1885 were justifiable. Repeatedly at odds with his lawyers throughout the proceedings, Riel ended his trial with an eloquent speech that systematically dismantled his lawyers’ insanity-defence strategy and ensured he would hang. The the jury recommended clemency, none was forthcoming since the only person who could grant it was the Prime minister. The Prime Minister was facing an election and needed the Ontario support to win.
An English yacht with a group of four men; Tom Dudley, Edwin Stephens, Edmund Brooks, and Richard Parker sails from Southhampton to Sydney, Australia on May 19th, 1884. Unfortunately, after 48 days (July 5th, 1884) on the sea, the yacht sank about 1600 miles off the Cape of Good Hope, South Africa. The four men were able to get on an open lifeboat, but had no supply of fresh water and had only two 1 pound cans of turnip. The four desperately tried to survive with all there were available, but after 17 days of being lost in the middle of the sea, they reached their breaking points. On the 18th day, Dudley, Stephens, and Brooks discussed the possibility of sacrificing one person for the rest of the group, and they all had the same person in mind; Richard Parker.
Louis Riel (born October 22, 1844) was a Métis leader. He was born in the Red River settlement to a businessman/ political leader, Louis Riel Sr. Louis was a standout student, heading to Sulpician school, on a scholarship, in Montreal at the age of thirteen. He studied there and soon fell in love with Marie-Julie Guernon; they got engaged but the engagement was soon broken after her parents found out that he was a “half-breed”. With a broken heart, and new knowledge he headed back to the Red River Valley.
Exiled from his homeland. Hanged for high treason. These are not the deciding fates many would imagine for an individual who was seen by many as a hero, a humanitarian, or a prophet. None the less, this was the fate of Louis Riel. Louis Riel was seen by many as a man of good intention, but by some he was seen as a villain, a lunatic, and a traitorous man.
In my opinion Louis Riel is a martyr because of the things he did for his beliefs. Being a martyr requires more than just a cause, it requires the individual to have strong beliefs for their religion, and then being killed due to those beliefs. Louis Riel would be classified as a martyr due to his actions and contributions for his religion as a Metis man. He helped develop and create an identity for the Metis community. He made a list of rights for Metis individuals some of which include the right to elect legislature, all sheriffs, magistrates and etc be elected by the people, all documents and acts of legislature be published in both french and english, etc.
The debate on the “Scopes Trial” was another conflicting issues happened during the 1920’s. The “Scopes Trial” occurred on John Scopes who was a high school teacher of Dayton, Tennessee. John Scopes was charged with illegally teaching the theory of evolution. When the trial took place in 1925, William Jennings Bryan was among those who were against Scopes and wanted to ban the teaching of evolution throughout the nation. William Jennings Bryan, who was a Fundamentalist of old-time religion, believed God was powerful and the Bible should be taken literally.
In Henry Louis Menken’s essay “The Penalty of Death,” he refutes two of the most commonly heard arguments against capital punishment. He believes that capital punishment is justified, it’s not for revenge but for, as he puts it “Katharsis” for the immediate victim and the moral of others. Katharsis meaning the process of releasing strong emotions. For the argument that executing a criminal is degrading for those who have to act upon it or the viewer; his rebuttal is that “the work of a hang man is unpleasant” (464) but it’s a necessary job furthermore he has heard no complaint from a “hangman” additionally some are delighted about the custom and practice proudly. The second argument is the that death penalty is useless because it does not deter
He had sated that Riel had “committed a cold-blooded murder” and how the “whites” would never forget it in both Manitoba and Ontario. According to the article by Paul Groarke, the only reason that Louis Riel was sentenced to high treason was simply because the punishment for such a crime was mandatory and just so happened to be death. One of the most unjust political act that had taken place throughout the trial of Louis Riel was the interference of the Minister of Justice, Alexander Campbell. Campbell had decided to write a private letter to the military leader in attempt to convince them of why Riel’s trial should take place in Regina instead of Winnipeg.
Terrified and worried because of that incident, Louis Riel escaped to the United States in 1870 when the Metis needed him the most. When Riel came back, responsibility had to be taken for Riel 's actions. There was a fine of $5000 for whoever finds the murderer of Thomas Scott. For that reason, Louis had to spend 5 years out of Canada. He was banished from Canada and still came since at one point of his life he became insane thinking that he was a prophet.
Brandon Pacente Wrongfully accused research paper Topic: Alfred Dreyfus Like many, Alfred Dreyfus was wrongfully accused for a crime he did not commit. He was charged with treason in September, 1894. He was accused when French Army Intelligence was found with other papers taken from a German military officer’s office.
Through various film and literary techniques, Steinbeck and Mcteigue explore the concept of justice in their texts. In John Steinbeck's Of mice and men, the concept of justice is portrayed as giving somebody what they deserve, although, using literary techniques, Steinbeck explores injustice in this view of justice that the members of the ranch have acquired. In McTeigue’s V for Vendetta, justice is portrayed most prominently as the abuse of power. A very large amount of power lies within the government and Mcteigue emphasizes the wrongs the government does, abusing their power causing the responders see the injustice in the government’s actions. Both texts makes reference to problems being experienced in the modern world today to do with
During the Holocaust millions of people were killed by the Nazis because they were not the ideal race. The Nuremberg Trials were held in Nuremberg, Germany. The judges of the trials were from Great Britain, the Soviet Union, the United States, and France. These trials were held to bring justice to all the lives lost during World War two. After the Holocaust, the Nuremberg Trials were held to bring justice to Nazi officials, Industrialists, but failed to punish those who escaped.