How many Metis people showed up at Guillaume Sayer's trial?

• A. 50-100
• B. 300-400 armed Metis
• C. 1000
• D. 0

Answer: (B)

The important idea here is how strongly the Métis community stood up to external control and showed their willingness to defend their economic rights with collective action. Guillaume Sayer’s trial in 1849 at Fort Garry became a flashpoint: a large crowd gathered not just as spectators but as a show of support and resolve. Contemporary accounts describe hundreds of Métis arriving with weapons—typically estimated at about 300 to 400 armed individuals. This sizable, organized turnout reflected deep discontent with the Hudson’s Bay Company’s fur-trade monopoly and demonstrated that the Métis could mobilize to push back against outside authority.

Knowing that, the number 300-400 fits best because it aligns with the common historical estimates that emphasize a substantial, organized presence rather than a small gathering or an unarmed crowd. The other figures—much smaller groups, an enormous crowd of thousands, or none at all—do not match the documented level of mobilization recorded for this event.