Document #1:
PROCLAMATION
" To the inhabitants of the district of Grand Pré, Minas, River Canard and places
adjacent, as well ancients as young men and lads.
Whereas His Excellency the Governor has instructed us of his late resolution
respecting the matter propsed to the inhabitants, and has ordered us to
communicate the same in person, His Excellency being desirous that each of the
should be satisfied of His Majesty's intentions, which he has also ordered us to
communicate to you, as these presents, all of the inhabitants as well as of the abovenamed districts as of all the other districts, both old and young men, as well as the
lads of ten years of age, to attend the church at Grand Pre, on Friday, the 5th.
instant, at three in the afternoon, that we may impart to them what we are ordered
to communicate to them, declaring that no excuse will be admitted on any pretense
whatsoever, on pain of forfeiting goods and chattles, in default of real estate."
Given at Grand-Pre, 2nd September, 1755 John Winslow
With less than twenty-four hours notice the Acadians appeared at Grand Pré
from all the villages of Minas. Four hundred and eighteen men entered the
church to hear His Majesty's final resolution to the Acadians:
"Gentlemen, - I have received from his Excellency, Governor Lawrence, the King's
Commission which I have in my hand, and by whose orders you are conveyed
together, to Manifest to you His Majesty's final resolution to the French inhabitants
of this his Province of Nova Scotia, who for almost half a century have had more
Indulgence Granted them than any of his Subjects in any part of his Dominions.
Whatuse you have made of them you yourself Best Know. The Part of Duty I am
now upon is what though Necessary is Very Disagreeable to my natural make and
temper, as I Know it Must be Grievous to you who are of the Same Species. But it is
not my business to annimadvert, but to obey Such orders as I receive, and therefore
without Hesitation Shall Deliver you his Majesty's orders and Instructions, Vist:"That your Land & Tennements, Cattle of all Kinds and Livestocks of all Sorts are
forfeited to the Crown with all other your effects Savings your money and
Household Goods, and you yourselves to be removed from
this Province.
"Thus it is Preremtorily his Majesty's orders That the whole French Inhabitants of
these Districts be removed, and I am Through his Majesty's Goodness Directed to
allow you Liberty to Carry of your money and Household Goods as Many as you
Can without Discommoding the Vessels you Go in. I shall do Every thing in my
Power that all those Goods be Secured to you and that you are not Molested in
Carrying of them off, and also that whole Families Shall go in the Same Vessel, and
make this remove, which I am Sensable must give you a great Deal of Trouble, as
Easy as his Majesty's Sevice will admit, and hope that in what Ever part of the
world you may Fall you may be Faithful Subjects, a reasonable & happy People.
"I Must also Inform you That it is His Majesty's Pleasure that you remain in
Security under the Inspection & Direction of the Troops that I have the Honr. to
Command."
Document #2:
Proclamation Designating July 28 of Every Year as “A Day of
Commemoration of the Great Upheaval”, Commencing on July 28,
2005
SI/2003-188
Registration 2003-12-31
Proclamation Designating July 28 of Every Year as “A Day of Commemoration of the Great Upheaval”, Commencing
on July 28, 2005
ADRIENNE CLARKSON
[L.S.]
Canada
Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom, Canada and her other
Realms and Territories QUEEN, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith.
To All To Whom these Presents shall come or whom the same may in any way concern,
Greeting:
MORRIS ROSENBERG
Deputy Attorney General of Canada
A Proclamation
Whereas the Acadian people, through the vitality of their community, have made a
remarkable contribution to Canadian society for almost 400 years;
Whereas on July 28, 1755, the Crown, in the course of administering the affairs of the
British colony of Nova Scotia, made the decision to deport the Acadian people;
Whereas the deportation of the Acadian people, commonly known as the Great Upheaval,
continued until 1763 and had tragic consequences, including the deaths of many thousands of
Acadians - from disease, in shipwrecks, in their places of refuge and in prison camps in Nova
Scotia and England as well as in the British colonies in America;
Whereas We acknowledge these historical facts and the trials and suffering experienced by
the Acadian people during the Great Upheaval;
Whereas We hope that the Acadian people can turn the page on this dark chapter of their
history;
Whereas Canada is no longer a British colony but a sovereign state, by and under the
Constitution of Canada;
Whereas when Canada became a sovereign state, with regard to Canada, the Crown in right
of Canada and of the provinces succeeded to the powers and prerogatives of the Crown in right
of the United Kingdom;
Whereas We, in Our role as Queen of Canada, exercise the executive power by and under
the Constitution of Canada;
Whereas this Our present Proclamation does not, under any circumstances, constitute a
recognition of legal or financial responsibility by the Crown in right of Canada and of the
provinces and is not, under any circumstances, a recognition of, and does not have any effect
upon, any right or obligation of any person or group of persons;
And Whereas, by Order in Council P.C. 2003-1967 of December 6, 2003, the Governor in
Council has directed that a proclamation do issue designating July 28 of every year as “A Day
of Commemoration of the Great Upheaval”, commencing on July 28, 2005;
Now Know You that We, by and with the advice of Our Privy Council for Canada, do by this
Our Proclamation, effective on September 5, 2004, designate July 28 of every year as “A Day
of Commemoration of the Great Upheaval”, commencing on July 28, 2005.
Of All Which Our Loving Subjects and all others whom these Presents may concern are
hereby required to take notice and to govern themselves accordingly.
In Testimony Whereof, We have caused this Our Proclamation to be published and the Great
Seal of Canada to be hereunto affixed. Witness: Our Right Trusty and Well-beloved
Adrienne Clarkson, Chancellor and principal Companion of Our Order of Canada, Chancellor
and Commander of Our Order of Military Merit, Chancellor and Commander of Our Order of
Merit of the Police Forces, Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of Canada.
At Our Government House, in Our City of Ottawa, this tenth day of December in the year of
Our Lord two thousand and three and in the fifty-second year of Our Reign.
Document #3:
Oath Taken by Acadians 31st May 1768
I do swear, that I will bear faithful and true Allegiance to His Most Sacred Britanick Majesty King GEORGE
the Third, and him will defend to the utmost of my Power against all traiterous Conspiracies, and all
Attempts whatsoever, against his Person, Crown and Dignity. And I will do my utmost Endeavours to
disclose or make known to His Majesty, and his Successors, all Treasons and traiterous Conspiracies, or any
Attempts whatever, which I shall [know to] be against him, or any of them.
And these Things I do plainly and sincerely promise and swear, according to the express Words by me
spoken, and according to the plain and Common Sense and Understanding of the same Words, without any
Equivocation, mental Evasion, or secret Reservation whatsoever: And I do make this Acknowledgment and
promise heartily, willingly, and truly, upon the true Faith [of a] Christian.
So Help me G O D.
Document #4:
Document #5:
The stars were in the sky
Back in the arms of Gabriel
It was fine, it was Sunday
The bells were almost ringing
And you were going to get
married
In your first white dress
Autumn had begun well
The crowds had all returned
And departed full of mockery
And at night the sound of a
violin
The girls and boys especially
Would have told you you
were beautiful
Evangeline Evangeline
But the English arrived
In the church they locked
All the men in your village
And women had to go
With the children crying
All night on the shore
In the morning they
embarked
With Gabriel on a tall ship
Without saying goodbye,
without a smile
And all alone on the dock
You tried to pray
But you had nothing more to
say
lover
Throughout America
In the plains and valleys
Each wind whispered his
name
Like the most beautiful music
Even if your heart was dead
Your love grew stronger
In memory and absence
He filled your thoughts
And every day he flourished
In the garden of silence
Evangeline Evangeline
Evangeline Evangeline
You lived alone with the
desire
To relieve and cure
Those who suffer more than
yourself
You learned that at the end of
sorrows
There is always a way
To lead us toward those we
love
So one Sunday morning
You heard in the distance
The chimes of your village
And then suddenly you
understood
That your trials were over
Like a long journey
Evangeline Evangeline
Evangeline Evangeline
So for over twenty years
You have searched for your
weakness
In the morning light
His face seemed suddenly
To take on the features of his
youth
Gabriel died in your arms
You planted on his mouth
A kiss as long as your life
He must have loved so much
That he was able to find
The strength to say thank you
Before you there was
A stranger on a pallet
An old man dying of
They still exist today
People who live in your
country
Who will remember your
name
Because the ocean is talking
about you
Southeast winds carry your
voice
From the forest to the plain
Your name is more than
Acadia
More than hope for a
homeland
Your name transcends
borders
Your name is the name of all
those
Who despite their
unhappiness
Still believe in love and hope
Evangeline Evangeline
Evangeline
Acadian Deportation
Name:_________________________________
Date:______________________
Arrange the following paragraphs in order from first to last:
A. In July 1755, the deportations began. The total Acadian population at the time was around 12 000
and it is estimated that as many as 10 000 were expelled. The British seized farms, goods,
livestock and pillaged and ruined Acadian homesteads to ensure that they would not return. This
continued until 1762.
B. As subjects of the British Empire, Acadians were expected to swear allegiance to the British
monarch. Acadians offered to swear an oath of neutrality, which was accepted by the British
governor of the day, Richard Philipps. For the most part, the Acadians enjoyed a period of
prosperity after becoming subjects of Great Britain.
C. In the face of increasing military preparations and other fighting in North America, the new
governor of Nova Scotia, Charles Lawrence, demanded an unconditional oath of allegiance to
ensure that the Acadians would not take up arms against the British. The Acadians at first refused
as they were concerned about possible retaliation from the French should they swear allegiance to
Britain. Later, they reluctantly agreed. This was not convincing enough for Governor Lawrence,
who ordered the expulsion to begin
D. After the mid 1740s, however, Acadia was of growing strategic interest and was to become the
battleground for British and French expansion on the eastern seaboard of North America.
Tensions between the British in Nova Scotia and the French on Île Royale and Île St-Jean rose
dramatically after the arrival of 7000 British colonists in the area. The British were preparing to
invade New France (Quebec) on the Plains of Abraham
E. Britain eventually gave many Acadians permission to return, once the military threat had passed
and they agreed to the oath of allegiance. As many as 3000 Acadians eventually returned, but
their farms and homesteads had been claimed by British settlers. As a result, they were forced
mainly into unsettled areas of what is now New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. The largest number
settled in eastern New Brunswick. They remain there to this day and represent a strong cultural
force. Small numbers also settled on what is now Cape Breton (Île Royale) and Prince Edward
Island (Île St-Jean).
F. The historical boundaries of Acadia included most of what is now Nova Scotia, Cape Breton
Island (then called Île Royale), New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island (then called Île StJean). The French had established it in the early 1600s after the explorations of Samuel de
Champlain. Under the Treaty of Utrecht, 1713, mainland Acadia was given to Britain. The treaty
made provision for the resettlement of the Acadians, but, for a number of reasons, this never
occurred.
G. When the British won control of most French possessions in North America under the Treaty of
Paris, 1763, French settlers on Île Royale and Île St-Jean were also expelled. While those on the
islands were returned to France, however, the Acadians were sent to other British colonies along
the eastern seaboard of North America. Many of those deported died in the process; perhaps 1000
managed to remain by hiding in the woods.
Order: ____________________________________________________________________
Document Investigation: The Deportation of the Acadians
Name:_________________________________
Item
Number
Describe it (5Ws)
Date:____________
Significance to Lesson
Historical or
artistic?