History of the Acadians facts for kids

The modern flag of Acadia, adopted in 1884.

The Acadians are people whose families came from France in the 1600s and 1700s. They settled in a part of North America called Acadia. This area is now known as the Maritime Provinces of Canada (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island). It also included parts of eastern Quebec and southern Maine.

Most of these early French settlers came from regions in France like Occitania and Normandy. Some Acadians also have ancestors from the Indigenous peoples of the region. Over time, Acadians have also blended with other cultures.

Acadian history was shaped by many wars between the French and British. These conflicts took place in Acadia during the 17th and 18th centuries. The last major war, the French and Indian War, led to a sad event. The British forced many Acadians to leave their homes in what is known as the Expulsion of the Acadians.

After the war, some Acadians returned to their homes. Others had hidden or moved to British colonies. Many Acadians went to France, and some later moved to Louisiana. There, they became known as Cajuns, a name that comes from "Acadians." In the 1800s, Acadians began to celebrate their culture more. This period is called the Acadian Renaissance. A famous poem called Evangeline helped unite Acadians. In recent times, Acadians have worked hard to gain equal language and cultural rights in Canada.

Early French Settlers

First Settlements: Port Royal

Pierre Dugua, Sieur de Monts built the Habitation at Port-Royal in 1605. This was a new settlement after an earlier attempt on Saint Croix Island. In 1607, de Monts' trading rights ended, and many French settlers went back to France. However, some chose to stay. Jean de Biencourt de Poutrincourt et de Saint-Just led another group to Port Royal in 1610.

Families Arrive and Adapt

The Acadian settlements survived thanks to good relationships with the Indigenous peoples. In the early years, some Acadian settlers and Indigenous women married. For example, Charles de Saint-Étienne de la Tour married a Mi'kmaw woman in 1626. Some settlers also married Indigenous spouses in traditional ways and lived in Mi'kmaq communities. French wives also came to Acadia, like La Tour's second wife, Françoise-Marie Jacquelin, who arrived in 1640.

In 1636, Governor Isaac de Razilly helped bring the first recorded families to Acadia. They sailed on the ship Saint Jehan from France. This ship carried 78 passengers and 18 crew members. Its arrival marked a change for Acadia. It began to become a place for permanent settlers, including women and children.

By the end of 1636, these new families moved to Port Royal. There, Pierre Martin and Catherine Vigneau had the first European child born in Acadia, Mathieu Martin. Mathieu later became an important leader in the Cobequid area.

The early French settlers brought their customs and ways of life from France. They were good at farming and trading. They also adapted their traditions to the Indigenous ways of North America. This mix of cultures helped create a unique Acadian identity.

A Time of Conflict: Governors at War

A painting showing the Siege of St. John in 1645.

After Governor Isaac de Razilly passed away, Acadia faced a period of conflict from 1635 to 1654. Two leaders, Governor Charles de Menou d'Aulnay at Port Royal and Governor Charles de Saint-Étienne de la Tour at Saint John, fought for control.

There were several battles during this time. La Tour attacked d'Aulnay in 1640. D'Aulnay then blocked La Tour's fort at Saint John for five months, but La Tour managed to win. La Tour attacked Port Royal again in 1643. In 1645, d'Aulnay finally won the conflict by taking over La Tour's fort at Saint John. After d'Aulnay's death in 1650, La Tour returned to power in Acadia.

Mi'kmaq man, titled 'Acadian Man' in an 18th-century engraving.

British Control and French Return

In 1654, a war started between France and England. British forces from Boston, led by Major Robert Sedgwick, took over Acadia. They captured La Tour's fort and then Port Royal. However, La Tour went to England and, with help, managed to get part of Acadia back from Cromwell. He returned to Cap-de-Sable and lived there until he passed away in 1666.

During this time, France's minister, Jean-Baptiste Colbert, told Acadians not to return to France. Because of the British control, no new French families settled in Acadia between 1654 and 1670.

Growing Communities and New Challenges

A marker showing where the Dutch took over Acadia in 1674.

The Treaty of Breda in 1667 gave Acadia back to France. In 1670, the new French governor, Hubert d'Andigny, took the first census of Acadia. It showed about sixty Acadian families, with around 300 people in total. These Acadians mostly farmed along the Bay of Fundy using special dikes called aboiteaus.

More colonists arrived from France and Canada in 1671. Some of these settlers married local Indigenous people. For example, Captain Vincent de Saint-Castin married Marie Pidikiwamiska, the daughter of an Abenakis chief. In 1674, the Dutch briefly took control of Acadia, calling it New Holland.

In the late 1600s, Acadians moved from the capital, Port Royal, to create new settlements. These included Grand Pré, Chignecto, Cobequid, and Pisiguit. These places became important Acadian communities before the Expulsion.

Sometimes, diseases like smallpox caused many deaths in Acadian communities. For example, over 150 people died on Ile Royale in 1732-1733. Settlers on Ile St.-Jean also faced very hard times. They often suffered from crop failures, fires, and famine. They frequently asked for help from other colonies and France.

Before Halifax was founded in 1749, Port Royal (later Annapolis Royal) was the capital of Acadia for many years. The British tried six times to capture Acadia by attacking the capital. They finally succeeded in the Siege of Port Royal (1710). For the next fifty years, the French and their allies tried six times to get the capital back, but they were unsuccessful.

Colonial Wars and Resistance

Acadians at Annapolis Royal in 1751, an early image of the people.

Acadians and the Wabanaki Confederacy often resisted British control in Acadia. The Mi'kmaq and Acadians were allies, sharing their Catholic faith and through many marriages. Even after the British took over in 1710, the Mi'kmaq remained a strong military force. They often joined with Acadians to resist British rule.

Many Acadians traded with the British, but their actions in wars showed they did not want to be ruled by them. During King William's War (1688–97), many Acadian sailors worked on successful French privateer ships. Acadians also resisted during the Raid on Chignecto (1696). In Queen Anne's War, Mi’kmaq and Acadians fought back during raids on Grand Pré, Piziquid, and Chignecto in 1704. Acadians also helped the French defend the capital in the Siege of Port Royal (1707) and the final Conquest of Acadia. They also won the Battle of Bloody Creek (1711).

Acadians in Annapolis Royal, 1751.

During Father Rale's War, the Maliseet people attacked ships on the Bay of Fundy. The Mi'kmaq raided Canso, Nova Scotia in 1723, with help from Acadians. In King George's War, a French priest named Abbe Jean-Louis Le Loutre led efforts with Acadians and Mi’kmaq to retake the capital. This included the Siege of Annapolis Royal (1744). During this siege, a French officer captured British soldiers. An Acadian suggested they should have been more harsh with the prisoners. Le Loutre also worked with a brave Acadian leader named Joseph Broussard (Beausoleil). Broussard and other Acadians supported French soldiers in the Battle of Grand Pré.

The fighting continued during Father Le Loutre’s War. Mi'kmaq warriors attacked British Rangers in the Siege of Grand Pré and the Battle at St. Croix. When Dartmouth, Nova Scotia was founded, Broussard and the Mi'kmaq launched several raids. They wanted to stop Protestant settlers from moving into Nova Scotia. Similarly, during the French and Indian War, Mi’kmaq, Acadians, and Maliseet raided Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, to stop new settlements. Le Loutre and Broussard also worked together to resist the British at Chignecto in 1750. They later fought with Acadians in the Battle of Beausejour in 1755. By 1751, about 250 Acadians had joined the local militia at Fort Beausejour.

When Charles Lawrence became the British leader, he took a tougher approach. He saw many Acadians as a threat because of their loyalty to the French and Mi'kmaq. The British also wanted to cut off supplies that Acadians sent to the French Fortress Louisbourg. The French and Indian War began in 1754. Lawrence's main goals were to capture French forts at Beausejour and Louisbourg.

The Great Upheaval: A Difficult Chapter

A painting from 1758 showing the burning of Grimross during the St. John River Campaign.

The British took over Acadia in 1710. For the next 45 years, Acadians refused to sign an oath of loyalty to Britain without conditions. During this time, Acadians helped in military actions against the British. They also kept important supply routes open to the French Fortress Louisbourg and Fort Beausejour. During the French and Indian War, the British decided to remove Acadians from Acadia. They wanted to stop any military threat and cut off these supply lines.

Many Acadians might have signed an unconditional oath if conditions were better. However, some were strongly against British rule. For those who might have signed, there were several reasons they didn't. One reason was religious, as the British monarch was the head of the Protestant Church of England. Another big concern was that the oath might force Acadian men to fight against France in wartime. They also worried that signing might upset their Mi'kmaq neighbors. This could put Acadian villages at risk of attack from the Mi'kmaq.

In the Grand Dérangement, or Great Upheaval, over 12,000 Acadians were forced to leave their homes. This was about three-quarters of the Acadian population in Nova Scotia. The British destroyed about 6,000 Acadian houses. They sent Acadians to different British colonies, from Massachusetts to Georgia. The sinking of the ship Duke William caused the most deaths among Acadians. While there was no plan to separate families, it often happened due to the chaos of the expulsion.

The Siege of Louisbourg in 1758.

Acadian and Mi’kmaq Resistance

French officer, Marquis de Boishébert, in 1753.

After the Expulsion began, the Mi’kmaq and Acadian resistance grew stronger. Much of this resistance was led by Charles Deschamps de Boishébert et de Raffetot. Acadians and Mi’kmaq won battles like the Battle of Petitcodiac (1755) and the Battle of Bloody Creek (1757). Acadians being deported on the ship Pembroke from Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia, overcame the British crew and sailed to shore. There was also resistance during the St. John River Campaign. Boishébert also ordered a raid on Lunenburg in 1756. In the spring of 1756, a group gathering wood near Fort Monckton was attacked, and nine people lost their lives.

In April 1757, a group of Acadians and Mi'kmaq raided a warehouse near Fort Edward. They killed thirteen British soldiers, took supplies, and set the building on fire. A few days later, they also raided Fort Cumberland.

Some Acadians escaped into the woods and lived with the Mi'kmaq. Other groups, like one led by Joseph Broussard ("Beausoleil") along the Petitcodiac River in New Brunswick, fought the British. Some Acadians traveled north along the coast, facing hunger and sickness. Others were captured and faced deportation or imprisonment until 1763.

Some Acadians were forced to work for others in the British colonies. Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Connecticut passed laws to place Acadians under the care of local officials. The Province of Virginia initially agreed to take about a thousand Acadians. However, they later sent most of them to England, seeing them as a threat.

In 1758, after the fall of Louisbourg, 3,100 Acadians were deported. Sadly, about 1,649 of them died from drowning or disease. Some tried to resettle in France, on islands like Belle Île. The French islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon became a safe place for many Acadian families. But they were deported again by the British in 1778 and 1793.

Returning Home: Rebuilding Acadian Life

After the Seven Years' War ended in 1763, Acadians were allowed to return to Nova Scotia. However, they could not settle in large groups in one area. They were also not allowed to return to Port Royal or Grand-Pré. Many Acadians settled along the Nova Scotia coast and live there today. Other Acadians looked for new homes. Starting in 1764, groups of Acadians began to arrive in Louisiana, which was then under Spanish control. They eventually became known as Cajuns.

In the 1770s, Nova Scotia Governor Michael Francklin encouraged many Acadians to return. He promised them Catholic worship, land grants, and no more expulsions. (At this time, Nova Scotia included what is now New Brunswick.) However, the fertile Acadian farmlands had been taken by new settlers. Returning Acadians had to settle in other, often isolated and less fertile, parts of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. These new Acadian communities focused more on fishing and forestry.

Important steps in the Acadian return and resettlement included:

1767: Settling on St. Pierre et Miquelon.
1774: Founding of Saint-Anne's church and the Acadian school at Rustico.
1785: Moving from Fort Sainte-Anne to the upper Saint John River valley.

The Acadian Renaissance: A New Beginning

Important Moments in the 1800s

The 1800s brought many important changes for Acadians:

Jean-Mandé Sigogne (1763–1844) was a French Catholic priest. He became known for his work with Acadians in Nova Scotia.
1836: Simon d'Entremont and Frédéric Robichaud became members of the Legislative Assembly in Nova Scotia.
1846: Amand Landry became a member of the Legislative Assembly in New Brunswick.
1847: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow published his famous poem Evangeline. This poem helped unite Acadians and share their story.
1854: The seminary Saint-Thomas in Memramcook, New Brunswick, became the first advanced school for Acadians.
1859: The first history book about Acadia, "La France aux colonies," was published. This helped Acadians learn more about their own past.

Building a Stronger Acadia

The first Acadian newspaper, Le Moniteur Acadien, in 1867.

The Acadian Renaissance was a time of great cultural growth:

1864: The Farmers' Bank of Rustico, Canada's earliest known community bank, was founded.
1867: The first Acadian newspaper, Le Moniteur Acadien, was published.
1871: The Common Schools Act of 1871 made it illegal to teach religion in classrooms. This caused challenges for Acadian schools.
1875: The death of 19-year-old Louis Mailloux in Caraquet during a conflict fueled Acadian pride.
1881: Acadian leaders held the first Acadian National Convention in Memramcook, New Brunswick. Over 5,000 Acadians attended. They chose August 15, the Feast of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, as National Acadian Day. They also discussed education, farming, and newspapers.
1884: At the second convention in Miscouche, Prince Edward Island, Acadians adopted their own flag, an anthem (Ave Maris Stella), and a motto (L'union fait la force - "Unity is strength").
1885: John A. Macdonald named Pascal Poirier as the first Acadian senator.
1887: The newspaper L'Evangéline began publication.

Four Acadian women in 1895.

Modern Acadians: Celebrating Culture and Rights

Key Events of the 1900s

The 20th century saw more important milestones for Acadians:

1912: Monsigneur Edouard LeBlanc became the first Acadian bishop in the Maritimes.
1917: Aubin-Edmond Arsenault became the first Acadian premier of Prince Edward Island.
1920: A campaign began to build a special church in Grand-Pré, Nova Scotia, to remember Acadian history.
1923: Pierre-Jean Véniot became the first Acadian premier of New Brunswick.
1936: The first Acadian credit union, Caisse Populaire Acadien, was founded.
1955: The first Tintamarre took place. This is a noisy parade where Acadians celebrate their culture.

An Acadian home along the Cabot Trail in 1938.
An Acadian lady spinning wool in 1938.
An Acadian lady making a rug in 1938.

Equal Opportunities for All

Louis Robichaud, known as "P'tit-Louis," was the first elected Acadian Premier of New Brunswick. He served from 1960 to 1970. He modernized hospitals and schools. He also introduced many reforms in a program called New Brunswick Equal Opportunity program. This program aimed to make sure everyone in the province had the same quality of health care, education, and social services.

Some people criticized Robichaud's government. They thought he was taking money from richer areas to help poorer ones. While some wealthier areas were English-speaking, many areas across the province, both English and French, had poor services. Robichaud wanted to make things fair for everyone.

Robichaud also helped create New Brunswick's only French-speaking university, the Université de Moncton, in 1963. This university serves the Acadian people in the Maritime provinces.

His government also passed the New Brunswick Official Languages Act (1969). This law made New Brunswick officially bilingual, meaning both English and French are official languages. Robichaud said that language rights are important cultural rights that connect people to their history.

In 1977, the Acadian Historic Village officially opened in Caraquet, New Brunswick.

A Famous Acadian Author

Antonine Maillet, born in 1929, is a famous Acadian novelist and playwright. She earned her degrees from the Université de Moncton and Université Laval. Maillet won the Governor General's Award in 1972 for her book Don l'Orignal. In 1979, she won the prestigious Prix Goncourt for Pélagie-la-Charrette. Her character "La Sagouine" inspired "Le Pays de la Sagouine" in her hometown of Bouctouche.

Remembering the Past, Celebrating the Future

Honoring Acadian History

In 2003, Queen Elizabeth II, as the Canadian monarch, officially recognized the Acadian deportation. She also declared July 28 as a day of commemoration. The Government of Canada observes this day to remember the past.

The Fédération des Associations de Familles Acadiennes and the Société Saint-Thomas d'Aquin decided that December 13 would be "Acadian Remembrance Day." This day remembers all Acadians who died because of the deportation. December 13 was chosen to mark the sinking of the Duke William. Nearly 2,000 Acadians deported from Île-Saint Jean died in the North Atlantic in 1758 from hunger, disease, and drowning. Since 2004, people have marked this day by wearing a black star.

Connecting Acadians Worldwide

Since 1994, the Acadian community has gathered for an Acadian World Congress. This event happens every five years. It was held in Louisiana in 1999, Nova Scotia in 2004, and New Brunswick in 2009. In 2014, the 5th Acadian World Congress was hosted by 40 communities across three provinces and two countries. These included northwestern New Brunswick, Témiscouata in Quebec, and Northern Maine in the United States.