Acadian expulsion (Le Grand Dérangement)

Acadian expulsion (Le Grand Dérangement)
Name	Acadian expulsion (Le Grand Dérangement)
Native name	Le Grand Dérangement
Caption	Deportation of the Acadians (19th-century painting)
Date	1755–1764
Place	Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Maine, Massachusetts Bay Colony, Quebec
Cause	Seven Years' War (French and Indian War), Treaty of Utrecht (1713), Fort Beauséjour
Result	Dispersal of Acadia population; migrations to Louisiana, France, England, Saint-Domingue, Île Saint-Jean (Prince Edward Island), return migrations

Acadian expulsion (Le Grand Dérangement) was the forced removal of thousands of Acadian inhabitants from Acadia by the authorities of Nova Scotia and the British Empire between 1755 and 1764. The deportation occurred against the backdrop of the Seven Years' War (French and Indian War), the aftermath of the Treaty of Utrecht (1713), and British efforts centered on Fort Beauséjour, creating a diaspora that reshaped communities across North America, France, and the Caribbean.

Background and Acadian Society

Acadian society developed from French colonists who settled Acadia in the early 17th century and established communities in Port Royal (Acadia), Beaubassin, Grand-Pré, Île Saint-Jean (Prince Edward Island), and the Saint John River valley; these settlers interacted with the Mi'kmaq and participated in agriculture, dyking, and trade with New France, Louisbourg, and Île Royale (Cape Breton). The population included figures such as Charles de Menou d'Aulnay, Charles de la Tour, and later parish leaders connected to Notre-Dame-des-Anges churches; Acadian families maintained distinct legal practices under the Treaty of Utrecht (1713) settlement, negotiated by actors including representatives of Kingdom of Great Britain and Kingdom of France. Acadian neutrality claims and seasonal migrations to Île Saint-Jean and Île Royale involved shipping links with Kingston (Rhode Island), Boston, and ports of Bordeaux, situating Acadia within Atlantic networks that also connected to Saint-Domingue and Martinique.

Causes and British Policy

British policy toward Acadia was shaped by strategic concerns after the Treaty of Utrecht (1713), contested by events such as the capture of Fort Beauséjour and skirmishes tied to the Seven Years' War (French and Indian War). Key British actors included Governor Charles Lawrence (Nova Scotia), officers of the British Army such as Lieutenant Colonel Robert Monckton, and administrators in London and Halifax (Nova Scotia), who feared Acadian collaboration with Governor Vaudreuil of New France and with militia under leaders like Joseph Broussard (Beausoleil). British directives drew on precedents from the Proclamation of 1763 and decisions influenced by debates in the House of Commons (Parliament of Great Britain), resulting in orders that targeted oath refusals and the alleged threat to supply lines to Louisbourg (1758) and Quebec City (Battle of the Plains of Abraham).

Deportation and Transportation (1755–1764)

The deportation began after the fall of Fort Beauséjour in 1755, when British orders led to mass arrests at settlements such as Grand-Pré, Beaubassin, Pisiquid (Windsor), and Petitcodiac; ships including transports from HMS Elizabeth and private vessels moved Acadians to ports in Boston, Norfolk (Virginia), Liverpool (England), Rochefort (France), and Saint-Pierre and Miquelon. Military operations involved units from the British Army and detachments based in Halifax (Nova Scotia), carried out by officers like Charles Lawrence (Nova Scotia) and John Winslow (British Army), and affected communities across Île Saint-Jean (Prince Edward Island), Île Royale (Cape Breton), and the Gaspé Peninsula. The transportation phase saw registries and manifests processed in Halifax (Nova Scotia), and deportees were directed by orders emanating from the Board of Trade (Great Britain) and colonial governors, with movements continuing through the Treaty of Paris (1763) period until 1764.

Conditions and Mortality during Exile

Acadian deportees experienced overcrowded conditions aboard transports and in receiving ports such as Boston, Biloxi (Mississippi), and Saint-Malo (Brittany), where disease outbreaks like smallpox and dysentery increased mortality among families listed by parish registers and consular reports. Records from the Nova Scotia Archives and correspondence sent to London and the Board of Trade (Great Britain) document deaths during voyages and in internment sites near Halifax (Nova Scotia), Shelburne, and temporary camps; relief efforts from religious organizations including Roman Catholic Church clergy, missionaries from Sulpicians, and charitable networks in Rochefort (France) attempted to assist survivors. Mortality rates varied by destination, with high fatalities recorded in Caribbean colonies such as Saint-Domingue and lower but significant losses in France and the British American colonies.

Resettlement and Returnees

Following the Treaty of Paris (1763), some Acadian exiles returned to the Maritimes, resettling in places like Cobequid (Truro), Île Saint-Jean (Prince Edward Island), Cheticamp (Cape Breton), and along the Saint John River under leaders such as Joseph Godin dit Bellefontaine; others established new communities in Louisiana—the ancestors of Cajun culture—settling in parishes including St. Martin Parish, St. Landry Parish, and Iberville Parish. Returnees negotiated land grants from officials in Nova Scotia and petitions to the Board of Trade (Great Britain), while migrations to Bordeaux, Rochefort (France), Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, Île Royale (Cape Breton), and Louisbourg (1758) shaped transatlantic networks. Prominent return migration figures included church leaders and family heads who appear in parish registers in Quebec City and Montreal.

Impact on Indigenous Peoples and New France

The expulsion affected relations with the Mi'kmaq and other Indigenous nations such as the Maliseet and Passamaquoddy, disrupting long-standing alliances and trade ties with New France and altering dynamics around sites like Fort Beauséjour and Chignecto Isthmus. French colonial authorities in New France, including Governor Pierre de Rigaud de Vaudreuil, and military leaders such as Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville monitored migrations and diplomatic consequences, while British settlement policies facilitated by figures in Halifax (Nova Scotia) transformed land tenure and settlement patterns, leading to conflicts over resources involving Anglo-American settlers from Massachusetts Bay Colony and Connecticut River Valley regions. The displacement also influenced Indigenous strategies during the Seven Years' War (French and Indian War) and subsequent peace settlements including the Treaty of Paris (1763).

Memory, Commemoration, and Legacy

The expulsion is commemorated in monuments at Grand-Pré National Historic Site, in literature by authors such as Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Alistair MacLeod, and in music like the song cycle of Angèle Arsenault and cultural institutions including the Acadian Museum of Prince Edward Island and festivals in Village Historique Acadien and Caraquet. Historiography by scholars in Canadian Studies, publications from the Acadian Archives and debates in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly reflect contested memory, while legal and cultural recognition efforts involve actors such as the Government of Canada, Province of Nova Scotia, and community organizations in Louisiana and New Brunswick. The legacy persists in Cajun identity, bilingual initiatives in New Brunswick, and transatlantic ties between France and Acadian communities, influencing contemporary discussions in institutions such as UNESCO heritage circles and in academic programs at universities including Université de Moncton.

Category:History of Acadia