Collection search - Letter from Lord Dufferin to Lord Lisgar Denies the promise of amnesty for Riel and his associates

"Half-breed rebels" is a term used at the time to describe Métis of predominantly French and First Nations descent who fought against the Canadian government and the "Loyal Half-breeds".
The Red River Resistance (or Red River Rebellion) was an uprising in the Red River Settlement in 1869. It was sparked by the Hudson's Bay Company's sale of Rupert's Land to the newly formed Dominion of Canada, a sale which Indigenous peoples saw as illegitimate. The Métis, led by Louis Riel, mounted a resistance and formed a provisional government to negotiate with the Dominion of Canada. The resistance led to the entry of Manitoba into Confederation.