"LEGACY" - Great Acadian Upheaval - Halifax, Nova Scotia
Posted by: Weathervane
N 44° 38.599 W 063° 34.060
20T E 454982 N 4943485
Nearly 10,000, men, women and children were piled into ships and deported to the Anglo-American colonies. By 1765, a mere 1,600 survivors remained in Nova Scotia.
Waymark Code: WM12FZP
Location: Nova Scotia, Canada
Date Posted: 05/19/2020
Views: 7
The plaque has been removed due to soil subsidence issues. The waymark will be re-activated once the soil issues have dealt with, or plaque is moved elsewhere on the harbourfront site.
Inscription on the plaque:
L'Acadie, established by France in 1604, was a stragecially located and highly coveted colony. In 1713, it was handed over to England and renamed Nova Scotia. The foundation of Halifax, in 1749, led part of the Acadian population to move to French territory. The remaining Acadians were still perceived as a threat, and in 1755, the British authorities launched their systematic deportation, splitting up families and communities, seizing all lands and possessions.
This was the Grand Dérangement, of Great Upheaval. Nearly 10,000 men, women and children were piled into ships and deported to the Anglo-American colonies, to England and to French territory and forming a resistance. Over the next ten years, almost half of the Acadian nation was lost at sea of died from disease and famine. By 1765, a mere 1,600 survivors remained in Nova Scotia, their fertile land now occupied by settlers from other areas.
Some Acadian families returned to their former homes, but most never again set eyes on Acadie. Many took root in Quebec and France, while in Louisiana they gave rise to a new community that produced the rich Cajun culture. Yet, the Grand Dérangement was unable to wipe out the Acadian presence on its native soil. L'Acadie lives on in Atlantic Canada, speaking French and offering to the world its proud and dynamic culture.
"At least 5,000 Acadians died of disease, starvation or in shipwrecks.
The majority of those deported ended up in Europe, the New England states and, eventually, Louisiana, where their descendants have been nicknamed Cajuns. Dow said the deportations represent a cornerstone of Acadian history. "It's part of our foundational narrative as a people. It was an incredibly traumatizing event, the effects of which were felt for at least 100 years after the deportation."
Faragher said the Acadians were victims of a crime against humanity, as defined by international conventions established after the Second World War.
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