Royal Proclamation
...appened only in Canada because the United States broke away from Great Britain in the American Revolution. The American expansion west happened with no regard to First Nations people and was done with the purpose of assimilation and in some instances genocide of First Nations people. Canada remained a part of the British Empire and thus remained bounded by the commitments of the Royal Proclamation. The Royal Proclamation would lead to the signing of the Treaties, which would continue into the early 20th Century. The Treaties were fairly basic documents, which discussed the terms for cessation of land by First Nations to the Canadian government. The Canadian government believed that Treaty making was a more convenient way to expand then war. “The British simply accepted the fact that the Indians occupied the land and that it would be convenient if the Indians could be persuaded to surrender their rights to occupancy in order to avoid hostilities or bloodshed with white immigrants.”3 The Treaties defined the relationship between the European settler and the First Nations. The First major treaty after the Royal Proclamation was the treaty at Niagara negotiated through July and August of 1764. This treaty was at that time considered to be an extremely large gathering of First Nations people all in one place at one time. “…As approximately two thousand chiefs and representatives were in attendance. At least 24 Nations.”4 Gift giving occurred at this treaty and the Royal Proclamation was read. The Crown and the First Nations Chiefs agreed that mutual respect would be given. This Treaty was used along with the Royal Proclamation as to how First Nations and the Crown would interact with each other. The Treaty making process really began in with the first seven numbered treaties between 1871-1877. This was to prepare for expansion into the west, but it should be noted that treaties were not just the wishes of the crown. “ It is important to note that initiation of the treaty making process was at least as much the work of Indians resisting Euro-Canadian incursions as it was the prescient preparations of the government.”5 First Nations were not only concerned by the expansion of settlers, but also of the dwindling Bison population and also of the knowledge of First Nations leadership of the genocide occurring in the United States made the leaders anxious to enter into treaty talks. The First Nations leaders were also astute in their demands during negotiations. “Because the Indians saw the treaties as establishing a relationship that would guarantee them assistance in adjusting to the new order in the West, it was they who were mainly responsible for the inclusion of many of the terms that promised continuing assistance.”6 The time during which the first 7 treaties were being signed was also the time of the North- West Rebellion that broke out in the spring of 1885. The Rebellion of 1885 is generally believed to be have been caused at least partially by the disappearance of the Buffalo, but also by expansion Westward. The Canadian government had became a Nation in itself in 1867 and had included all First Nations into the Royal Proclamation, even though The Borders of Canada did not include most of this land at the time of signing of the Royal Proclamation. While signing treaties many of the groups had become angry because they believed that the Government had not held up to its end of the bargain. The Metis people also felt left out, as they were considered to be “half-breeds” and therefore did not hold the same rights as the First Nations people. Not only did they not hold the same rights of the First Nations people, but also they did not garner the same respect as the European people. Therefore the Metis people were left out. The rebellion occurred mostly in what is now Saskatchewan and Manitoba. The rebellion may not be a direct result of the Royal Proclamation but it is certainly a result of the policies that came from that proclamation. The Rebellion and various uprising that have happened throughout history is one of main arguments of those who say that the policy that the Royal Proclamation outlined has been a failure. While the largest impact the Royal Proclamation has had on Canada is the Treaty signings that have occurred and continue to occur through land claims and claims to self-government. An impact of both the treaty signings and the Royal Proclamation is the reserve system that is still in place today. Essential what has happened since the signing of the Royal Proclamation is that the Canadian government has proceeded to buy up the a huge majority of the land while leaving First Nations with a tiny piece that they can claim as their own. The reserves were a way of keeping First Nations out of the way of the expansion to Western Canada, but also as a way to assimilate the First Nations. Reserves were established with the direct help of the church which began provide both education and agricultural training. The Church wished to convert the people to Christianity, while the government wished that education would both assimilate the First Nations and create self-suffiency. The First Nations people did agree with the government that education was needed. “So far as the Indians were concerned, the motive for participating in schooling was to acquire the knowledge that they recognized as essential to their continued survival and success at a time when the literate Europeans were becoming dominant.”7 The First Nations were not as easily assimilated as the Europeans had hoped. The children were not assimilating at day schools because they would at night go home at live as they had before. Therefore it was believed to be necessary for the development of the residential school system which existed starting in 1868 when the Federal Government assumed control over 57 schools, with 2 being residential schools Mount Elgin and Mohawk. By 1879 that number had grown to four with the addition of Shingwauk and Wikwemikong, all were in Ontario. The residential school system lasted until 1986, when the last residential school was closed. The legacy of the residential school system has been extremely destructive to the First Nations population. The schools have left behind a legacy of abuse that will take generations to fix. While the Royal Proclamation may not be directly responsible for the legacy left by the Residential School system, it is responsible for setting about a policy that led to assimilation. The British Crown began this policy with the Royal Proclamation when the First Nations were made wards of the crown. This continued with the participation of the church in converting the First Nations to Christianity, and the eventual negligence of both the government and the Church in the atrocities done at these schools. The Royal Proclamation was entrenched in the Canadian Constitution at repatriation in 1982, under much lobbying by First Nations groups. The First Nations groups were angry that they were not allowed to participate in constitutional talks and believed that the redefinition of the roles of provincial and federal government ...