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Champlain Moves Settlement to Port Royal
Champlain in intial settlement in 1604 suffered a hard winter and half the people died from starvation. The next year, he moved the settlement to what we call Port Royal. That winter, the settlers built homes close to a forest for ease of use (for building and firewood), and storehouses for the food they planted (vegetables). In a few years, a few more settlers and missionaries arrived to help keep the settlement alive. -
England Takes Acadia
Acadia was taken by the English for the first time. Acadia will be passed back and forth between England and France 14 times before it was permanently ceded to the English next century. -
Core Group of Settlers Arrive
Acadia is returned to France and many settlers arrive in Acadia until 1653 when England captures Port Royal again. -
Settlers Begin to Move from Port Royal to Surrounding Areas
Acadia is returned to France in 1670. A decade later, people began to spread out and settle in the surrounding areas for 10 years before Acadia was captured by the English yet again. -
Treaty of Utrecht - France cedes Acadia to the British (Final)
The War of the Spanish Succession ends, and through the Treaty of Utrecht, Acadia is now British. The Acadians are asked to take the oath of allegiance to the British King. They resisted since they have been passed back and forth between England and France several times and wanted to remain neutral. The British did not press the Acadians for an oath for some time because they had valuable skills and knowledge to help the British survive in North America. -
Invitation to Fort Louisbourg
The French builds Fort Louisbourg so that they can have a base to protect their interests in North America and attack the British colonies. France tried to convince the Acadians who, were living under British rule, to move to Louisbourg but most of the Acadians were not interested in re-settling. The Acadians wanted to stay on their farms with their communities. -
Acadians Take the Oath... with an Amendment
The Acadians took the oath of allegiance to the British King but stipulated that they would not fight against their "mother country" (France) or the First Nations, who were their friends. The governor accepted this, but did not communicate to the King that there was an amendment to the oath that the Acadians signed. -
The British Demands the Oath Without Exceptions
The Seven Year's War begins, and the British cannot have the "neutral French" Acadians possibly helping France. They demand that the Acadians take the full oath without exceptions. -
The Acadian Expulsion Begins
The Acadians did not think anything would happen by refusing to take the oath. They have been passed back and forth many times, and have viewed themselves as Acadiens (not French) and as a neutral people for many years. The British put forth orders to have the Acadians deported. They wanted to scatter the Acadians along the New England coast, breaking up families and communities, so that they will assimilate better. The British called this their "great and noble scheme."
