Timeline Instructions

French presence established in the New World

Before Acadie was founded, European traders and fishermen had already been visitors to these shores. A French presence was finally established in the New World in 1604, when in the early spring, a contingent of explorers, businessmen, and soon-to-be famous figures like Samuel de Champlain, Sieur de Poutrincourt, and Du Pont Grav, left Le Havre, France, to assert their Kings claim to l'Acadie. By the end of that summer they had explored what is today peninsular Nova Scotia, from LaHave to the Minas Basin, continuing along the northern edge of the Bay, charting the coast of present-day New Brunswick and Maine.

These hardy souls wintered on le Saint-Croix at the mouth of the St. Croix River, establishing the first European habitation in North America.

Champlain moves to Port Royal

In August 1605 Champlain moved to Port Royal (now Annapolis Royal), a community that was to become Acadias major town. In only a few years Acadian settlements spread throughout the Atlantic region.

Core group of settlers arrives

From 1632 until 1653 the core group of settlers arrived. Ownership of the Acadian colonies was tossed back and forth between the French and the English.

Early Acadia by Claude T. Picard

French settlement ceases

Under English rule French settlement ceased between 1654 and 1670, and then under French rule settlements resumed.

First Acadian Census

The first Acadian Census took place in Port Royal in 1671. One of the first in Canada, the total count was 392 people, 482 cattle, and 524 sheep! In the 1680s and 1690s many people left Port Royal and settled other areas.

War of Spanish Succession ends

The Treaty of Utrecht ended the War of Spanish Succession in 1713, making the Acadians in Nova Scotia permanent British subjects, while le Royale (Cape Breton) and le Saint-Jean (Prince Edward Island) remained French.

Work begins on Fortress Louisbourg

In 1719 work began on Fortress Louisbourg to protect Frances interests. It was to become one of the busiest ports on the Atlantic coast.

Acadians sign oath of allegiance to the British Crown

By 1730, the majority of Acadians had signed an oath swearing allegiance to the British Crown, but they insisted they would not fight either the French or the native Indians.

Oath of Allegiance by Claude T. Picard

Louisbourg falls to British

In 1745 Louisbourg fell to British forces from New England.

Louisbourg returned to French

The Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle returned Louisbourg to the French in 1748

Halifax established

The establishment of Halifax in 1749 engrained a solid colonized British presence on the Atlantic Coast.

Population reaches 10,000

By 1750 there were 10,000 Acadians in Nova Scotia.

Beginning of the French and Indian War

At the beginning of the French and Indian War of 1754, the British government demanded that Acadians take an oath of allegiance to the Crown that included fighting against the French. Most of them refused.

Decision made to begin Expulsion

Pressure from the English was strong. British Governor Charles Lawrence and the Nova Scotia Council decided on July 28, 1755 to deport the Acadians. Although Grand Pr to this day is the most well known symbol of the expulsion, it actually began at Fort Beausjour on August 11.

About 6,000 Acadians were forcibly removed from their colonies. The British military ordered the Acadians' communities to be destroyed and homes and barns were burned down. The people were dispersed among the 13 American colonies, but many refused them and sent them on to Europe. Families were torn apart and many lost everything they owned.

Acadians call this event the Grand Drangement, or Great Upheaval. In English it is the Expulsion.

As a result of the deportation and the subsequent migrations, the Acadians ended up in the New England States and all along the eastern seaboard, as far south as Georgia. Many were put in jail, and many died at sea. Others ran away to Qubec, hid with the Mikmaqs in Nova Scotia, or went to present-day New Brunswick, or Prince Edward Island.

The Deportation Order by Claude T. Picard

Last Acadians deported

The expulsion did not end in 1755. Three years later the Acadians who fled to le St. Jean (Prince Edward Island) and le Royale (Cape Breton Island) were rounded up and sent to France. The British under General Wolfe and General Amherst recaptured Louisbourg, the last French stronghold, and deported 3,000 more Acadians to France.

The Grand Drangement displaced from 10,000 to 18,000 Acadians. Thousands more were killed.

Ships Take Acadians Into Exile by Claude T. Picard

Signing of the Treaty of Paris

When France signed the Treaty of Paris in 1763, it gave Great Britain its colonial possessions in North America, except the islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon, off the coast of Newfoundland.

Acadians slowly return

British authorities in 1764 allowed Acadians to return in small isolated groups. They returned slowly, settling in various locations on mainland Nova Scotia and Cape Breton Island. Others ended up in Newfoundland, the West Indies and even the Falkland Islands.

Migrations and Return by Claude T. Picard

Acadians settle in Louisiana

From 1765 to 1785 about 3,000 Acadians traveled from France to settle in Louisiana. Louisiana was then a colony of Spain, but the Acadians managed to retain their French culture. Their descendents, the Cajuns, continued to keep their language and lifestyle and became a major cultural influence.

The Arrival of the Acadians in Louisiana by Robert Dafford. View image copyright.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow publishes vangline

The famous American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow published vangline in 1847. It would eventually be translated in over 130 languages. The world discovered the tragic history of the Acadian people, as vangline became a folk hero.

Although there were many regional differences, Acadians were able to maintain a distinct culture within a much larger majority.

St. Joseph's College founded

In 1864 St. Josephs College in Memramcook was founded and became the first higher educational institution in Acadia.

First Acadian Convention established

In 1881 the first Acadian Convention established August 15th as National Acadian Day, and three years later at the second Acadian Convention, an Acadian flag, and a National anthem were adopted. There was discussion about important common issues like agriculture, emigration, and education.

St. Anne's College established

The Acadians of Nova Scotia established St. Annes College in 1890, today called Universit St. Anne in Pointe-de-lglise. Other traditional colleges were started, especially in New Brunswick, ensuring that future generations of Acadians, would learn their language and culture.

45,000 people of French origin in Nova Scotia

In Nova Scotia in 1901 there were over 45,000 people of French origin, almost 10% of the total population. The right to be educated in French and to have a French language media was a continuing struggle. Congresses met regularly, putting together an economic program and adopting political positions.

Universit de Moncton founded

Most of today's Acadians live in New Brunswick, P.E.I. and Nova Scotia, with some in parts of Maine and Quebec. While there are continuing struggles against assimilation and attempts to keep the French language alive, Acadians have increasing control over their education. In 1963, the Universit de Moncton was founded and became the largest Francophone higher educational institution outside Quebec.

First Acadian World Congress

In 1994 there were about 240,000 French speaking people in New Brunswick, 39,500 in Nova Scotia and 6,000 in Prince Edward Island. Others lived in Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, Gaspe, Magdalen Islands, and Newfoundland.

The first Acadian World Congress was held in Moncton, New Brunswick. Acadians from throughout the world showed incredible interest in their family genealogy. Numerous Acadian family associations were born and started to comprehensively research their ancestral origins. The Acadian Museum of Prince Edward Island and the Archive Centre of Pubnico West in Nova Scotia, among others, offer extensive historical and genealogical resources on Acadian families. Universit de Saint Anne, and Universit de Moncton both also have centres for Acadian Studies.

World Congress held in Lafayette, Louisiana

Research into their past and connections to each other continued to be made at the World Congress in 1999, held in Lafayette, Louisiana.

Acadia lives on in many small communities spread along throughout the Atlantic region. The nuances in the accents, developed through contacts with other cultures, are noticeable from one area to another, from the Acadian Peninsula in New Brunswick to St. Marys Bay in Nova Scotia.

Wrongs against Acadians recognized

There have been attempts to have the Grand Derangement officially recognized. In December 2003, the federal government agreed to issue a proclamation in the name of the Queen recognizing the wrongs the Acadians suffered during the deportations.

World Congress in Nova Scotia

World Congress in Nova Scotia. (Quebec City will be next to hold a Congress.)

The year 2004 marks the 400th anniversary of the founding of Acadie, and the establishment of the first French permanent settlement in North America at Saint Croix Island.

Acadians have focused their hard work and entrepreneurial skills on strengthening their institutions, their commercial enterprises, and their educational establishments. Acadians have worked to create an identity different from that of France or Quebec. Their culture today is bustling with amazing energy, artistic creativity and joie-de-vivre.