Alexander Morris His intellectual and political life and the numbered Treaties

Abstract

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.