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Period: to
Fall of New France
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Acadia, French presence established in the New World
Before Acadie was founded, European traders and fishermen were already 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 and businessmen, such as, Samuel de Champlain, Sieur de Poutrincourt, and Du Pont Grav left Le Havre, France, to assert their King to claim to Acadie. -
Champlain moves to Port Royal
In August of 1605 Champlain moved to Port Royal (now Annapolis Royal), a community that was to become Acadia's 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 was astablished. Ownership of the Acadian colonies was tossed back and forth between the French and the English. -
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. this Census was one of the first in Canada. The total count was 392 people, 482 cattle, and 524 sheep. In between 1680s and 1690s many people left Port Royal and settled other areas. -
founding of Fort Louisbourg
The Fortress of Louisbourg is the largest reconstruction project in North America. The original settlement was founded in 1713 by the French and was developed over several decades into a center for fishing and trade. Louisbourg was desieged twice before being destroyed in the 1760s. The site was untouched until well into modern times. Archaeologists had began to reconstruct the fortress as it was in the 18th century. -
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. They had insisted they would not fight either the French or the native Indians. -
Decision was made to begin Expulsion
British Governor Charles Lawrence and the Nova Scotia Council decided on July 28, 1755 to deport the Acadians. About 6,000 Acadians were forcibly removed from their colonies. The British military ordered the Acadians' communities to be destroyed. Their homes and barns were burned down all of their hard work was now in ashes. The people were dispersed among the 13 American colonies, but many refused them and sent them to Europe. Families were torn apart and many people lost everything they owned. -
the Last Acadians deported
The expulsion did not end in 1755. Three years later the Acadians who fled to St. Jean (now know as Prince Edward Island) and le Royale (now called 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. This event displaced from 10,000 to 18,000 Acadians. Thousands more were killed. -
First battle
Wolfe led his men, by night, past the French guards. At dawn, his army of 5000 men were assembled, ready for battle against the 4500 troops of Montcalm. On the 13th September 1759, France lost Quebec to the British. Both General Wolfe and General Montcalm were killed in the battle. In losing Quebec, France lost New France and with it, the North American empire. By the end of 1760, all French forces in North America had surrendered. -
The Fall of Quebec
Bristis soliders forced by General James Wolfe, they made their way up the St. Lawrence River in the summer of 1759. A young officer, called James Cook, was navigating the devastating waters of the river. Wolfe tried to attack Quebec from the front and bombard the town but was unsuccessful. With his men falling sick and winter approaching, it seemed that the greatest prize in New France would escape him -
Thw War of 1812
On June 18, 1812, President James Madison signed a declaration of war against Great Britain, which made the beginning of the War of 1812. -
End with the Treaty of Ghent
William Henry Harrison issued military orders to attack the British and Native Americans forces around Lake Erie in October, 1813. -
End with the Treaty of Ghent
Thomas Jefferson wrote about the War of 1812 and the Treaty of Ghent in a letter to William H. Crawford. The majority of the letter was written on February 14, 1815, a day before he was notified by James Monroe that a peace treaty with Great Britain had been signed. Jefferson then added a postscript to his letter announcing the news of the treaty. -
End with the Treaty of Ghent
President James Madison discussed the Treaty of Ghent and other international news in a letter to Thomas Jefferson dated March 12, 1815.
