The Execution of Louis Riel Few historians will argue the importance of Louis Riel in shaping the political landscape of our country future. However even fewer will argue the means behind Riels execution and whether or not it was a just one. Riel was convicted of Treason in 1885 and sent for execution on November 16th of that same year. Was he in fact guilty of treason, was he guilty of "betraying his country to that of a common enemy" as defined by Webster's Dictionary. The following will help to clarify the reasons why Reil's death sentence should have been commuted by the federal government: Riel wasn't proven to be of stable and competent mind at the time of his actions, he was a victim of unjust trail, and finally he was behind are right and justifiable cause.
Throughout his trail, Louis Riel sanity in his latter life would come in question many times.
Louis Riel circa 1875
Jean-Louis and Marie-Angélique Riel, children of ...
Louis Riel speaking at his trialWas Riel truly insane, his defense team certainly thought so and based most of there case around it. (1) Riel's chief counsel Charles Fitzpatrick latter to become chief justice of Canada appealed vehemently to the jury as to the state of Riels mind. (2) However, Riel himself disagreed contending that he new exactly what he was doing during the alleged offenses. (3) His defense team used this to their advantage arguing that only an insane person would plead his sanity to the courts. (4) Further Strengthening his defense was the fact Riel had spent time in asylums on two separate occasions. This fact proved with out a doubt that Riel was insane at lest one time in his life. Does it not make sense that if a person was insane once, there's a small possibility that he could have been insane latter in his life or...