The Great Upheaval: The Deportation of Acadians in 1755

Commentary Starting in the 11th century, the kings of England and the kings of France engaged in a series of seemingly interminable wars. They were fought at first in Europe, but as both nations acquired global empires, these conflicts spread to their colonial possessions around the world. Territories in what is now Canada naturally were caught up in these struggles. In 1710, as part of the War of the Spanish Succession, the British captured much of the French colony of Acadia on the Atlantic Coast of North America. They renamed it Nova Scotia (New Scotland), though the inhabitants remained largely French and Mi’kmaq—folk who were unhappy with their new rulers. Armed conflict between English-speaking colonists, French-speaking Acadians, and native tribes, supported with arms by French authorities, was frequent. Both the French and English governments built impressive fortifications to thwart the other’s ambitions in the area. The British established a strong base in Halifax, while the French erected fortresses at Louisbourg on Cape Breton Island and Fort Beauséjour at the head of the Bay of Fundy....