The last French and Indian war : an inquiry into a safe-conduct issued in 1760 that acquired the value of a treaty in 1990

He looks at the same events from three different perspectives - as empirical facts, in their legal interpretation, and as the subject of debates by historians. The result is an intriguing detective story with unexpected twists and surprising revelations. The Last French and Indian War sheds light on how, since the 1982 patriation of the constitution, Canadian courts have become a formidable tool for Natives in asserting their rights. It examines the extent to which this creates two categories of citizen and poses a threat to the foundations of Canadian society. The Constitution Act, 1982, specifies that the rights of Aboriginals -- ancestral rights and rights issuing from treaties -- will be respected. Indians have thus forged in it a formidable legal weapon, which seems to threaten the very foundations of our society and sometimes leaves the impression that there are two categories of citizens: one whose members must obey provincial laws and are obliged to pay taxes, and another whose members are not subject to these constraints. What are these treaties that the Indians evoke in the courts? How did the Supreme Court come to bestow on a simple safe-conduct the value of a treaty in its Sioui ruling of 1990? What, exactly, does this document say? Where is the original? What is the source of the copy presented in court? How did the Quebec Court of Appeal come to recognize the treaty of Oswegatchie based simply on statements, without having a specific document?And therefore, what happened in the late summer of 1760, when the British armies were marching on Montreal? How did General Amherst manage to break up the impressive network of alliances patiently woven with the Indians by the French? What commitments did Amherst make in exchange? The Last French and Indian War looks at a period that, by all evidence, has received very little attention. Denis Vaugeois retraces the major steps of the Seven Years' War to establish the precise unfolding of events between the surrender of Quebec City and that of Montreal. At the same time, he conducts a fascinating inquiry, in which -- as in the best suspense novels -- the same story is retold from various angles: the facts, their interpretation by the courts, and the arguments among historians. Readers will be treated to an intriguing account full of twists and turns, in which astounding revelations arise from the simplest observations. Denis Vaugeois's book is an erudite work that is both gripping and accessible. It mixes the great lines of history with its most minute details. From The Surrender Of Quebec City To The Surrender Of Montreal -- The War With Three Names -- After The Surrender Of Quebec City -- English Reinforcements -- Murray Begins The March To Montreal -- The French And Canadiens In Retreat -- Amherst's Hard March -- The Indian Missions -- The Fate Of Fort Levis -- The Oswegatchie Conference -- The Path Is Clear -- Amherst, Haviland, Murray -- Vaudreuil's Surrender -- An Account By Johnson And Amherst -- The Caughnawaga Conference -- Murray's Treaty And The Courts -- A Peak Of Activity: 1819-24 -- Stuart's Conclusions -- The Opinion Of Sociologist Leon Gerin -- Georges E. Sioui Offers His Version -- The Siouis Spring Into Action -- Submission Of A Mysterious Document -- The Conclusions Of The Superior Court -- A Defeat With The Scent Of Victory -- The Court Of Appeal Is Divided. This Time, Quebec Appeals -- Justice Lamer Hears Mr. Larochelle ... -- ... But Listens To Chief Justice Dickson -- The Murray Document And The Historians -- The Sioui Ruling Put To The Test -- Denys Delage's Opinion -- Donald Graves's Analysis -- Another Expert: W.j. Eccles -- Marcel Trudel's Opinion -- Another Trial: The Legal Saga Continues -- The Historian Raynald Parent -- An Examination Of The Murray Document -- Print Characters In 1760 -- Various Versions Of The Murray Document Surface -- Provenance Of The Printed Version (d-7a) -- Murray's Intention -- From The Meeting Of September 5 To The Conference Of September 15-16. Denis Vaugeois ; Translated By Käthe Roth. Originally Published: La Fin Des Alliances Franco-indiennes. Montréal : Boréal And Sillery : Septentrion, C1995. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [267]-274) And Index.