What Preceded the Deportation?
For forty years, that is from 1700 to -1740, the Acadians pretty much
ignored changes taking place in North America while the tensions were
increasing between the French and the English as they battled for control of
the continent. Even after the British conquest of Nova Scotia in 1710, the
Acadians who had managed to remain neutral, pretty much went on with life as
usual and with narry an interruption from the life they knew.
France never really
lent a great deal of help nor support to the Acadians. Again in 1713, when the
war between the English and the French officially ended, one more time, France
sacrificed Acadia and its population when the Treaty of Utrecht was signed.
Control of Acadia and Newfoundland was given to the English while France
retained control of only Ile-Royale/Cape Breton Island and Ile
Saint-Jean/Prince Edward Island. Nova Scotia was the new name given this land
formerly known as Acadia and Port-Royal would become Annapolis Royal, renamed
so in honor of Queen Anne of England.
Between 1719 through
1730, the Acadians had taken oaths of loyalty to the British throne which had
given them a verbal assurance of neutrality and included the promise not to
have to bear arms against the French - their countrymen - and the Micmacs.
Though likely supported and intervened by the French priests, the neutrality
the Acadians adhered to was likely of their own doing. The British referred to
the Acadians as the "Neutral French" or as "the Neutrals"
and they were spoken of or referred to in this manner even in the American
colonies. In 1755,this position of total neutrality in the face of great
British adversaries who disliked them, and who would do anything to win the
English view in this matter, would lead to the demise of the Acadians.
Within the next few
years there was a significant change in the position of the Acadians. Because
of their neutrality, neither the English nor the French now trusted the
Acadians. The time came when the Acadians were faced with having to choose one
side or the other.
During the 18th
century, England legally excluded Roman Catholics from public office. The
religion of the King of England was the religion that all English must follow
and this religion was Anglican. According to Naomi Griffiths in The Contexts of Acadian History 1688-1784:
. . . the absorption
of Nova Scotia with its Acadian population into the British empire posed, at
first sight, no great or novel problems. London had already coped with people
living at the end of long lines of communications and inclined to riot for
their vision of political liberty, the other British North American colonies.
However, the particular combination of the specific language and religious
beliefs of the Acadians with the political geography of the colony was about to
demand flexibility of mind and vision from its new administrators, for the
Acadians were on the British imperial territory and linked to another power in
that area by language and religion.
The British population
grew between 1749 through 1755. This created quite a bit of tension for the
Acadians. In fact, tensions ran so high on both sides that the English built
one fort after another so as to counteract the French presence in Nova Scotia.
It was an outward attempt to flex their muscles as the dominant and only
landlord of this land! The English worked hard to outdo the French.
Because of its
location, the English wanted Nova Scotia to be theirs. From here, the Acadians
could easily connect with their French counterparts in Québec and the rich
fishing banks were easily accessible. The Governor of Massachusetts, William
Shirley, knew that this area was the only direct link to Québec by sea and it
would also be the link to take the English ships from Massachusetts to the
Louisbourg Fortress on Ile Royale/Cape Breton Island.
No comments:
Post a Comment