Why did Louis riel choose to be a politician?

Answer 1

Louis Reil created the provincial government only to maintain order and to negotiate an agreement by which the territory surrounding the Red River Settlement could enter confederation as the province of Manitoba. Louis Riel also feared if Governor McDougall were allowed to take charge of the area, he would give members of the Canadian Party all the power and ignore the Metis.

Answer 2

Because people wanted him to be their politician. People living in Manitoba wanted fair representation and they knew that Riel was one of them and that he could not be bought or intimidated. Of course he could be killed.

Answer 3

Why are often the hardest history questions to answer. It is much better to look at what, who, even how. When it gets to why we can look at writings and try to infer from actions but even that can be tricky.

In the case of Riel he did write a lot. His writings do not fit the mythical view Canada has created to deal with or exploit a period of time in which Canada was using force to colonize the Prairies. The whole Riel story has such significant political, even religious, impacts that the history recorded often results in conflicting information.

Even with all that we should be able to all agree that the people on the land bought by Canada were not comfortable with their new rulers. Their level of discomfort ranged from just wondering what the differences would be to outrage that Canada would think they could just buy their land from a third party.

Those most outraged were those with multiple generations in the land. Some had farms, hunting and trapping areas they considered theirs and all had deep history on the land. included in this group were "mixed breeds". Most may have been Scottish or English and Aboriginal but they did not have the fear those in some southern areas who were mostly French and Aboriginal.

They had all the same fears of losing their land and/or status but also saw the threat from English Ontario, who was spearheading Canada's move west, as a threat to their culture.

Reil was much more French than Aboriginal but that meant that he had more education than most, he was the most outspoken, and most willing to take action. Actions many others, including Scottish Metis and those more recently from Europe, supported but not so much they wanted to act themselves.

He became the man of the moment and an opportunity for Canada to show what can happen to those willing to stand up to Canada and their efforts to colonise the West.

Why? Likely because he felt there was little other choice.