Revolver
Artifact
Image
Video
Audio
Activities
LOOK
Look closely at this revolver. Can you guess how old it is? What evidence can you find to help you? Read the Details section below to verify your answer.
THINK
Around 80,000 people attended McGee’s funeral in Montréal. What does that tell us about him?
DO
Around 105,000 people lived in Montréal at the time of McGee’s death. Using information found on the historical context of McGee’s portrait, estimate the percentage of people in the city who attended his funeral.
DO
Hold a classroom debate on whether Patrick James Whelan was innocent or guilty in McGee’s assassination. Take time to research the trial online before you begin your debate.
Details
Date 1861-1864
Materials - Metal
Historical Context
Choose one of the three levels below to match your needs.
- Thomas D’Arcy McGee was assassinated on April 7, 1868, following his denouncement of the Fenians.
- Patrick James Whelan was arrested while in possession of this gun shortly after the assassination.
- Whelan, a suspected Fenian sympathizer, was arrested, convicted and hanged for the assassination. Whether he was in fact the assassin remains unclear to this day.
This is the revolver believed to have been used to assassinate Thomas D’Arcy McGee.
McGee, an Irishman, had recently angered the group of Irish nationalists known as the Fenians by denouncing their cause. Viewed as a traitor by the Fenians, McGee was shot on returning to his boarding house from Parliament Hill during the early hours of April 7, 1868.
Shortly after McGee’s assassination, Patrick James Whelan was found in possession of the recently fired weapon. Arrested, tried and found guilty, Whelan was hanged on February 11, 1869.
To this day, it remains unclear whether Whelan was in fact the assassin. Whelan publicly insisted, up to the gallows, that he was innocent and claimed to know the man responsible for the crime, but he never provided a name.
This is the revolver believed to have been used to assassinate Thomas D’Arcy McGee.
McGee, an Irishman, had recently angered the group of Irish nationalists known as the Fenians by denouncing their cause and supporting British-style parliamentary government, which he even proposed as a model for government reform in Ireland.
Viewed as a traitor by the Fenians, McGee was shot on returning to his boarding house from Parliament Hill during the early hours of April 7, 1868. His murder was the first political assassination in Canada.
Within 24 hours of McGee’s assassination, Patrick James Whelan — an Irish tailor and suspected Fenian sympathizer — was found in possession of the recently fired murder weapon. Arrested, tried and found guilty, Whelan was hanged on February 11, 1869.
To this day, it remains unclear whether Whelan was in fact the assassin. He was spotted watching McGee in Parliament on the night of the murder and was said to have admitted to the killing while in prison. But Whelan publicly insisted, up to the gallows, that he was innocent. He claimed to know the man responsible for the crime, but he never provided a name.
- Thomas D’Arcy McGee was assassinated on April 7, 1868, following his denouncement of the Fenians.
- Patrick James Whelan was arrested while in possession of this gun shortly after the assassination.
- Whelan, a suspected Fenian sympathizer, was arrested, convicted and hanged for the assassination. Whether he was in fact the assassin remains unclear to this day.
This is the revolver believed to have been used to assassinate Thomas D’Arcy McGee.
McGee, an Irishman, had recently angered the group of Irish nationalists known as the Fenians by denouncing their cause. Viewed as a traitor by the Fenians, McGee was shot on returning to his boarding house from Parliament Hill during the early hours of April 7, 1868.
Shortly after McGee’s assassination, Patrick James Whelan was found in possession of the recently fired weapon. Arrested, tried and found guilty, Whelan was hanged on February 11, 1869.
To this day, it remains unclear whether Whelan was in fact the assassin. Whelan publicly insisted, up to the gallows, that he was innocent and claimed to know the man responsible for the crime, but he never provided a name.
This is the revolver believed to have been used to assassinate Thomas D’Arcy McGee.
McGee, an Irishman, had recently angered the group of Irish nationalists known as the Fenians by denouncing their cause and supporting British-style parliamentary government, which he even proposed as a model for government reform in Ireland.
Viewed as a traitor by the Fenians, McGee was shot on returning to his boarding house from Parliament Hill during the early hours of April 7, 1868. His murder was the first political assassination in Canada.
Within 24 hours of McGee’s assassination, Patrick James Whelan — an Irish tailor and suspected Fenian sympathizer — was found in possession of the recently fired murder weapon. Arrested, tried and found guilty, Whelan was hanged on February 11, 1869.
To this day, it remains unclear whether Whelan was in fact the assassin. He was spotted watching McGee in Parliament on the night of the murder and was said to have admitted to the killing while in prison. But Whelan publicly insisted, up to the gallows, that he was innocent. He claimed to know the man responsible for the crime, but he never provided a name.
Summary
- Thomas D’Arcy McGee was assassinated on April 7, 1868, following his denouncement of the Fenians.
- Patrick James Whelan was arrested while in possession of this gun shortly after the assassination.
- Whelan, a suspected Fenian sympathizer, was arrested, convicted and hanged for the assassination. Whether he was in fact the assassin remains unclear to this day.
Essential
This is the revolver believed to have been used to assassinate Thomas D’Arcy McGee.
McGee, an Irishman, had recently angered the group of Irish nationalists known as the Fenians by denouncing their cause. Viewed as a traitor by the Fenians, McGee was shot on returning to his boarding house from Parliament Hill during the early hours of April 7, 1868.
Shortly after McGee’s assassination, Patrick James Whelan was found in possession of the recently fired weapon. Arrested, tried and found guilty, Whelan was hanged on February 11, 1869.
To this day, it remains unclear whether Whelan was in fact the assassin. Whelan publicly insisted, up to the gallows, that he was innocent and claimed to know the man responsible for the crime, but he never provided a name.
In-Depth
This is the revolver believed to have been used to assassinate Thomas D’Arcy McGee.
McGee, an Irishman, had recently angered the group of Irish nationalists known as the Fenians by denouncing their cause and supporting British-style parliamentary government, which he even proposed as a model for government reform in Ireland.
Viewed as a traitor by the Fenians, McGee was shot on returning to his boarding house from Parliament Hill during the early hours of April 7, 1868. His murder was the first political assassination in Canada.
Within 24 hours of McGee’s assassination, Patrick James Whelan — an Irish tailor and suspected Fenian sympathizer — was found in possession of the recently fired murder weapon. Arrested, tried and found guilty, Whelan was hanged on February 11, 1869.
To this day, it remains unclear whether Whelan was in fact the assassin. He was spotted watching McGee in Parliament on the night of the murder and was said to have admitted to the killing while in prison. But Whelan publicly insisted, up to the gallows, that he was innocent. He claimed to know the man responsible for the crime, but he never provided a name.