Questions:

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“Greetings. Please state your full name, place of birth and family life. Also state your qualifications.”
Greetings to you too. I was born to a strict methodist family that were Protestant in Toronto, on
May 3rd 1861. Later, I attended the University of Toronto and studied Classics for 3 years until my
father could not afford the completion of my studies. From there I was moving all around Canada.
”
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“Yes, and where in your journey did you meet Louis Riel?”
After the 14 years of exile charged on Riel, he returned to Canada. I ended up meeting him in
Batoche, Saskatewan.
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“What was your relationship with Louis Riel?”
After I met with Riel, I sympathized with the Metis people, and their difficult conflict with the
unfair Government. I became an avid supporter for Riel and soon was made his secretary. I was the
one who wrote the petition from Louis Riel to the government.”
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“So you, you’re a white man, correct?”
Yes.
“Now explain to me why you would help the Metis as a white Protestant?”
After my degree in Classics, I ran a farming Union and met Riel. I sympathized with Riel. Why,
you ask? It’s because the Metis people faced injustice and were at the mercy of the government.
However Riel seemed to go insane after his time at the asylums. After he didn’t get a reply from the
government he becomes impulsive. He doesn’t get his reply, then BOOM, he arms his men and
starts and an armed rebellion. Imagine a child, who wants his parents to give him a candy. They tell
him to wait, and instead he pulls out his gun. Insane, right?
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“OK. Do you believe that Louis Riel was insane?”
Let me start of with this: Insanity is a mental illness of such a severe nature that a person cannot
distinguish fantasy from reality, cannot conduct her/his affairs due to psychosis, or is subject to
uncontrollable impulsive behavior. Clearly, insanity has no correlation with motives. You could be
an insane murderer. You could be an insane rights activist. One is right, one is wrong. Both are
insane. Now this perfectly applies to Louis Riel’s case. He absolutely shows signs of insanity which I
will discuss later on in this examination. However his motives were not wrong. Tell me. Is helping a
group of Metis people who lost their precious animal the Bison. Who got cheated out of their land.
Whose homes were burned. Tell me, is the not helping or what? They deserved justice. Now you
can say, that he was mad, what he did was horrible and irrational. But either way, he was insane.
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“You talk a lot about that fact that what he did was morally right, but you don’t exactly state proof
that he was insane. Could you tell us what exactly makes him insane?”

First of all, I just think that one who goes to an insane asylum goes, because they are insane. As his
mental state deteriorated, he would strip naked and claim that he was the prophet of the Metis and
was receiving letters from God. I know this all is hard to believe, but he wrote a letter “suggesting
that he was not really Louis Riel, but a Jew. A JEW! If that’s not insane, I really don’t know what
is. Furthermore Louis Riel, changed his name to Louis David Riel. Now the importance of this?
Well, let me give you some background information. King David was, as says in his name, the
second king of Israel. He was an important figure in Christianity. Now, Louis Riel thinks that he is
the biblical King David. For this reason, and this reason only, he changed his name to David.
Sounds insane right? Because it is. Let me remind you, David’s reign was in 1000 BCE. Riel’s rise is
in the 1870s-80s.
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“If he truly is insane, he must have suffered from some sort of mental disease. If so what is it?”
Yes. Louis Riel suffered from Megalomania. Megalomania is basically the obsession with the
exercise of power, especially in the domination of others. Clearly this is shown in Louis Riel’s
previous acts. Yes he helps the Metis for the good. Yes he’s technically doing a moral act. But that’s
not the point. He still is clearly obsessed with power and makes an effort to dominate the
government by starting armed rebellions.
END END END
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I as William Jackson, was right beside every decision with Louis Riel, and agreed with everything
that Louis Riel did. The secretary is like the representative, the person who takes care of letters,
meetings, ideas, appointments, etc. Overall, the secretary is very involved with the business of their
boss. In the trial, Jaxon was charged with treason acquitted by the reason of insanity. Now tell me,
if Jaxon was sentenced to the insane asylum, why was Riel not? Jaxon was almost the equivalent to
Riel following and understanding everything that Riel did. Even after the trial, Jaxon believed that
Riel wasn’t insane. Jaxon is just as insane as Riel is.

Basic Facts:
Name: Joseph Henry Jackson, changed to Honore Jackson
Parents: Not enough information.
Married to Aimee, a former teacher in Chicago
Born: Toronto, May 3rd 1861
Death: January 10th 1952, New York City
He was born to a strict methodist family (member of Protestant Church)

https://prezi.com/aqbee0v8zfdt/was-louis-riel-insane/

● He came to view himself as a divinely ordained prophet and took on an

array of bizarre, megalomaniacal religious affectations
● At the very least, he had spent long periods in insane asylums
● The trial was held in 1885 Regina
● Louis Riel executed on 16th November 1885
● Spent a lot of time documenting the fact that he got letters from God in his
diaries
 ● Riel knew that the trial would be unfair and that the judges wouldn’t allow
him to be considered insane or have his ideas/actions condemned, yet
Louis Riel tried to achieve this, and rejected his own lawyers

After Riel came from 14 years of exile, he met Honore Jaxon in Batoche
Saskatchewan. Riel was elected president for his provisional government.
Honore Joseph Jaxon was Riel’s personal secretary and generated
exhaustive political and military strategies.

Honoré Jackson:
-Born in Toronto, darting around Canada from Whingham, to Saskatewan, to where he
finally sympathized with the Metis
-Attended University of Toronto for 3 years until his father couldn’t afford to complete
his education
-Jackson was not Metis, yet was Louis Riel’s Personal Secretary
-When Riel returned to Canada in 1884, the two of them organized the provisional
government and militia
-18th March 1885 Jackson was baptized a Christian
-apparently Jackson was ‘imprisoned’, Riel’s OWN secretary was imprisoned by RIEL.
That is the definition of insane.
-his parents were originally Protestant so they were against him

Riel claimed to have a vision in which God appointed him as his "prophet of the new world."
Riel proclaimed himself the Biblical King David
King david was the 2nd king of ancient Israel

-Jaxon was the only white man charged

-believes he is a prophet sent from god to help the Metis people

Jaxon sent to asylum in Fort Gary and declared insane

-one of the best educated men in his area