Alesander Morris: His Intellectual and Political Life and the Numbered Treaties
Name
Robert Tallbot
Type of Resource
text
Genre
Thesis
Abstract
--Description taken From "Alexander Morris"--
Alexander Morris (1826-1889) is best remembered for his service as Lieutenant-Governor of
Manitoba and the North-West Territories (1872-1877), and for acting as the chief Canadian
negotiator for Treaties 3-6 with the Amerindian peoples of western Canada. Ideologically
speaking, Morris was a conservative, an imperialist, and a devout Christian. Historians have
generally argued that Euro-Canadian officials like Morris failed to appreciate the significance of
the treaties and the long-term reciprocal relationship that they entailed for Amerindian peoples. It
is argued here, however, that Morris's understanding of the treaty relationship may have been
much closer to the Amerindian perspective than previously believed. Over time, and through a
series of interactions and intellectual exchanges with Amerindian leaders, Morris was able to
transcend his social formation and empathize significantly with their viewpoint.