Acadian Expulsion

The Acadian Deportation/Le Grand Derangement (1755-1763), which began during the French and Indian War (1754-1763) -- the North American Theatre of the Seven Years War (1756-1763) -- epitomized the political rivalry of France and Great Britain. The history of the fight for this geographically important territory began with The Charter of Acadia (1603), given to Pierre de Gast by King Henri IV. It introduced loyal French settlers to what is now Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island. The peninsula where Acadia was established was geographically situated between two politically important colonies: New France, governed by France, and New England, governed by Britain.

Acadians used farming skills learned in France to transform the landscape of Acadia and formed tight

knit communities with traditional values. In particular, they used dykes to convert the swampy landscape into arable land. Researchers note that “the Acadians considered Acadia, not France, their homeland,” 32 making

the Francophone populations in New France. The inhabitants of Acadia made the territory their home through heavy labour. Acadians were effective farmers and their lands were abundant in livestock, orchards, and grains. They also mixed their customs with those of the local Indigenous Mi’kmaq people, all the while remaining loyal to their Catholic beliefs. 33 The community was built upon the values of the indigenous peoples with principles informed by Catholic traditions. Altogether, this gave rise to the Acadians’ individual sense of identity connected to their homeland of Acadia, not France.

The deportation of the Acadiens from Grand-Pré, Nova Scotia, by George Craig, 1893

territorial claims over Acadia resulting from the seventeenth and eighteenth-century wars of empire between France and Great Britain did not have a significant impact on the daily experience of Acadians. The Treaty of Ryswick (1697) outlined

the geographic importance of the peninsula of Acadia, noting the strategic importance of the territory to competing empires, and recognized French control of the colony. 34 The end of the War of Spanish Succession (1701-1714) and the signing of the Treaty of Utrecht (1713) saw control of Acadia pass from France to Britain and Acadia became Nova Scotia. The recorded

Acadian population of Nova Scotia at the time of the treaty was estimated at 2,000 “French” neutral inhabitants. The Treaty of Utrecht demanded that the inhabitants of the peninsula swear loyalty to the British crown, a formality that the Acadians refused. While Acadians had their own sense of identity rooted in a connection to their homeland, their respected priests still taught loyalty to France. 35 And, while they maintained they were a neutral people, the British considered them a military threat as long as they refused to swear loyalty to the British Crown.

The growing population of the Acadians threatened the British, whose relationship with the French empire remained tense; the British viewed the Acadians as representing the French. This is evident in the restrictions in the Treaty of Utrecht that required the Acadians to surrender their fishing rights, except along one designated coastline, and prohibited the construction of French fortresses. The British insistence on their authority over the livelihood of the Acadians threatened Acadian neutrality. They prized their autonomy and their ability to live in good relationship with their English neighbours. They maintained, however, that they were unwilling to swear allegiance to one sovereign, either French or British.

This sense of distrust was a two-way street. The British authorities, concerned about the trustworthiness of the Acadians in such a strategic location, especially after the War of the Austrian Succession (1744-48), began to insist

that the Acadians sign an unconditional oath of allegiance to Britain. Mistrust based on decades of refusal to swear allegiance to Britain was amplified in 1754 and 1755 as Britain and France became

embroiled in of yet another war of empire in North America. This solidified the British decision to expel a population viewed as a security threat. 36

In 1755, the year the expulsion began, the recorded number of Acadians living in Nova Scotia was approximately 12,000, a number the British considered overwhelming. Nova Scotia Governor Charles Lawerence issued the

deportation order on 11 August 1755. In a letter of instruction to Lieutenant Colonel Winslow,

Lawerence documented the colonies to which

the British were to transport the Acadians: 500+ Acadians were banished to North Carolina, 1,000 were transported Virginia, and between 500 and 2,000 were resettled in Maryland. 37 The

British army was ordered to secure Nova Scotia as a British strongpoint against New France. In the process, soldiers forcibly removed Acadians from their homes and burned their homes and crops. Between 1755 and 1763, approximately 10,000 Acadians were deported from Nova Scotia. They were shipped around the Atlantic; some escaped to Cape Breton and New France; many perished from drowning and disease. Vacated lands were then settled by colonists from New England, known as the New England Planters, who solidified British authority over the territory. In 1764, when Acadians were permitted to return, they settled far from their former homes. Many remained in far-flung parts of the Atlantic world. Despite their dispersal and the cruel treatment they endured, Acadians retained their unique identity. Le Grand Dérangement remains an example of the lengths European powers would go in their battle for empire.

LILLIAN RENE HISTORY MAJOR