Le Grand Dérangement

During the period of the Seven Years' War, almost three-quarters of the Acadians from Grand Pré, Annapolis and the Fundy coast were herded onto waiting ships and forcibly expelled. Most had done nothing wrong and had lived in peace for decades. They were in the wrong place at the wrong time, and were victims of a form of ethnic cleansing.

Most Acadians did get the option of choosing their destination, with the majority choosing other British colonies. But that was hardly any real solace, as they had to rebuild their ruined lives. Some settled in Massachusetts and Connecticut, but their families were dispersed. In New York, many were sold as indentured servants, the rest restricted to nearby coastal islands. In Pennsylvania, many of the 450 exiles were imprisoned for not giving up their children to English-speaking families. Some ended up in Nantes, France, some in Liverpool, England. Others made it to Canada. Those who ended up in Louisiana forged their own destiny, as the Cajuns. But almost 5,000 of the Acadians deported died of disease, deprivation or shipwreck as a result of the action.
Acadians in Louisiana

At the end of the French and Indian War, the expulsion ban on the Acadians was lifted. They were permitted to return. About 3 000 did so only to find that the rich lands that they had cleared and farmed had been given to New England soldiers and squatters.

Reduced to marginal lands, they had to begin their lives anew, but this time only after agreeing to swear the detested oath. They had stood on principle and integrity - and it had cost them dearly. However, even though they had suffered through decades of hardship and struggle, their culture survived, migrating northward into New Brunswick. Increasingly, greater numbers forsook the land and became fishermen and lumberjacks. Theirs is a uniquely heroic - and tragic - tale.