The Acadians
Before we learn about the conflicts
between the English and the French, we
are going to learn about a third group of
people that lived in the area. They were
the Acadians.
The Acadians came to North America
from France, yet they were not like the
other French people. They spoke their
own version of French and didn’t hang
around with the French. They didn’t even
consider themselves as French; they were
Acadian.
They had a very distinct culture that
made them very different from the other
French settlers in Canada. They were
innovative farmers and even developed a
system of draining the salty marshy lands
near the shore and converting it to farm
land. They did this by building dykes
(large earth dams) that had a one way
drainage valve called an aboiteau .
This system allowed salty swamp water to
drain out during low tide, but stopped
the water from flowing back in during
high tide. This allowed the Acadians to
be the only people in North America to
farm land actually below sea level.
After one war between Britain and
France, which Britain won, the two
sides signed a peace treaty called the
Treaty of Utrecht.
In this treaty, France agreed to hand
over to Britain the territory in New
France where the Acadians lived. (This
was one of seven times the Acadian
land had changed ownership between
the French and the British).
France encouraged the Acadians to
relocate to another part of New
France, but most Acadians wanted to
stay in Nova Scotia. They loved their
land and didn’t want to move.
The treaty allowed the Acadians to
continue living in Acadia (Nova Scotia)
without interruption from the British.
Britain tried to assimilate them into
their culture (make them British), but
the Acadians refused. They would not
change who they were for any one.
But the British knew that another conflict
with France was inevitable. Could the
French Acadians be trusted to NOT fight
against the British during another battle
with France? After all, the Acadians
were still French , and the British didn’t
really understand the differences
between the Acadians and the other
citizens of New France. It was all the
same to the British.
To be sure, the British demanded the
Acadians swear an Oath of Allegiance.
This oath asked the Acadians to swear
they would not fight with the French if
there was another battle and that they
would fight FOR the British.
The Acadians had no problem promising
to be good and obedient British subjects.
They even promised to remain Neutral
(not fight) during any battle the British
had with the French. However, they
would not promise to fight for the British
side against the French.
The inevitable happened. In the year
1744, Britain again fought France in
Europe. Fighting also broke out in
Acadia since both Britain and France
wanted the land. The Acadians feared
the British would attack them, so most
Acadians hid in the woods during the
battle.
Some Acadians did break the rules and
provided the French with supplies. A
few did fight with the French during a
second battle three months later, but
that battle failed.
Word got out that some Acadians were
helping the French. Now, the British
were very upset with the Acadians.
The Acadians had promised to stay
neutral, but that seemed to be a lie.
What to do with them?
What could be done with the
Acadians?
The British couldn’t trust them
because they were (mostly) French
and the French couldn’t trust them
because they were not really French
and they lived in what was now British
territory and were officially British
subjects. Things did not look good for
a group of people who just wanted to
be left alone!
War broke out again in 1755 between
Britain and France. The Governor of
Nova Scotia was so concerned about
the Acadians helping the French that
he again demanded that the Acadians
swear an oath of allegiance. Again,
the Acadians refused.
The Acadian Expulsion
This time the Governor was ready for
their refusal to sign. This time, he had
a solution to the Acadian problem
already totally planned out.
He announced that all Acadians would
be expelled (removed by force) from
their part of Nova Scotia called Acadia.
Forcing people to leave their
homeland that they had farmed for
over 100 years is bad enough, but how
the British did this expulsion was cruel
and heartless.
The Acadian leaders were asked to
come to a church in the town of Grand
Pre for a meeting and told by British
colonel, Colonel Winslow, that they
had only a few minutes to gather what
they could before they would be
shipped away and their land
confiscated (taken) forever.
The people were escorted by gunpoint
down to the shore where British ships
were waiting to take them away.
The scene was devastating. Families
were ignored as people were rounded
up and placed in the ships. Mom, Dad
and kids were often all on different
ships going to very different locations,
many never to see each other again.
While the Acadians were being
shipped away, The British made sure
that there was no reason for the
Acadians to ever come back again.
Homes were burned, animals were
killed and crops destroyed.
British Soldiers were sent into the
woods to search for those Acadians
who were hiding.
Journal entry, September 10th, 1755
Colonel John Winslow
… Determined … that it would be best to Divide the Prisoners, and that
as there was Five Transporte Idle … That Fifty men of the French
Inhabitants be Embarkd on Board Each of the five Vessels, taking First all
their young men…
I Sent for Father Landrey Their Principal Speaker who Talks English and
Told him the Time was Come for part of the Inhabitants to Embarke…
and Desierd he would Inform his bretherin of it. he was greatly
Surprised… I Told him it must be Done and … ordered our whole Party to
be under Arms and Post them Selves between the Two Gates & the
Church in the rear of my Quarters, …
The whole of the French Inhabitants where Drawn together In one Body
their young men … on the Left. I then orderd Capt Adams … to Draw of
from the main Body to Gaurd the young men of the French … and order
ye Prisoners to March. they all answered they would No go without their
Fathers. I Told them that was a word I did not understand for that the
Kings Command was to me absolute & Should be absolutely obeyed &
That I Did not Love to use Harsh Means but that the time Did not admit
of Parlies [talking] or Delays and Then ordered the whole Troops to Fix
their Bayonets and advance Towards the French, and Bid the 4 right hand
Files of the Prisoners Consisting of 24 men … to Divied from the rest …
one of whome I Took hold on (who oposed the Marching) and bid March.
He obeyed & the rest followed. thoh Slowly, and went of Praying, Singing
& Crying being Met by the women & Children all the way (which is 1 1/2
mile [2.4km]) with Great Lamentations upon their Knees praying &c.
The British could not remove all of the
Acadians at one time. It took years!
Between 1755 and 1763, 7, 000 of the
10 000 Acadians living in Nova Scotia
were forcibly removed from their
homes. Most did not know where
they were being sent to, although
some did have a choice.
The main destinations were:
Other French colonies: 2,400
France: 3, 500
England: 850
Nova Scotia (the part owned by
Britain): 1,250
Other British colonies (USA and the
Caribbean): 4,600
They had done nothing wrong, yet the
Acadians were caught in the middle of
two powerful nations fighting over
strategic land. Because of this, their
land was taken, families were torn
apart, and many were sent to foreign
lands.
One group of Acadians settled in New
Orleans, in southern USA. They told
everyone there they were Acadians,
but over time, this word was
mispronounced and changed a little.
Today, we know this group as CAJUN.
In time, many of the Acadians
returned to Canada, but their original
farms and homes in Nova Scotia had
been resettled by the British. They
were forced to relocate to an area of
New Brunswick.
History may have forgotten about this
group of Canadian settlers if not for a
famous poem written by an American
poet named Henry Wadsworth
Longfellow. His poem was called
Evangeline.
It tells the story of a young girl,
Evangeline, who was forced to leave
Acadia during the expulsion.
Evangeline is separated from her
family and her fiancé , Gabriel, and
sent to another country. Their final
words to each other vow that they will
both return to their homeland some
day. She does return to Acadia and
waits for her fiancé to return.
She finally meets him again many
years later when he returns to Acadia.
But he is on board a ship where most
of the people on board are sick with
disease.
Evangeline learns that her fiancé is one of
the sick and near death. She stays with
him during his final days before he dies.
As more and more people learned of this
horrible moment in Canadian history and
learned more about the Acadian people,
the story and culture of the Acadians
became quite famous. They even
developed their own flag that is similar to
the flag of France (red white and blue)
but with an extra gold star on the blue
stripe
The twentieth century saw a dramatic
increase in Acadian pride, identity and
international recognition. Today, there
are countless Acadian festivals, reunions
and celebrations in North America for
those with Acadian ‘roots’ and for those
interested in Acadian history.
Recently, the Canadian and British
governments officially apologized for the
Acadian expulsion.
On December 9, 2003, Queen
Elizabeth II signed the Royal
Proclamation acknowledging the
wrongs committed against the
Acadian people in the name of
the Crown and establishing a “Day
of Commemoration” on July 28th
of each year.