Settlement in the Canadian Maritime Provinces

“New France was not merely the settlement of a few fur traders; it was also a colony of Christ in the New World, even more a colony of Christ, or of the Church, than of France.” Due to the pious believers that inhabited New France, the country was run in a particular way, separating itself from France. Although falling under the jurisdiction of “New France,” the Acadians governed separately than the rest of the country and were a separate entity within New France. Today, “the Acadians are the French speaking population of the Canadian Maritime provinces,” and these are the Acadians that were not displaced during the expulsions, under British rule. Acadia’s beginnings, with the construction of Port Royal, could have marked the colony for success, but instead, led to a troubling conclusion for the European descendents. Through failed leadership, two major expulsions, and a takeover of the Acadian peoples’ French culture, the once-thriving group has been displaced primarily to Louisiana, taking on a new identity of Cajuns.

Port Royal’s Beginnings

Acadia was discovered by French explorers. Jean Cartier was the first to formally explore the land that would become Acadia but Samuel de Champlain was the first to bring with him French settlers in 1605, making Acadia the second permanent European settlement in present-day Canada. Champlain’s group first settled along the banks of __________ River in 1604 but suffered in a hard winter, losing many of the settlers to scurvy. Champlain moved the settlement to Port Royal the following spring, and the settlement began to grow, forming alliances with the Mi’kmaq and Maliseet Aboriginal groups. The Acadians worked hard at clearing the marshlands, and this allowed them fertile ground t...

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