Expulsion of the Acadians in the context of "Evangeline"

Acadia is a North American cultural region in the Maritime provinces of Canada where approximately 300,000 French-speaking Acadians live. The region lacks clear or formal borders; it is usually considered to be the north and east of New Brunswick as well as a few isolated localities in Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia. Some also include a few localities in Quebec and/or Maine.

The present-day region of Acadia's name echoes that of the historic colony of Acadia, a colony of New France which covered the Maritimes, and that was inhabited by Acadians until the Expulsion of the Acadians. A few Acadians managed to escape the deportation by fleeing to the most rural parts of the old territory and re-settling there, which is mostly the North and East of New Brunswick today. Their descendants came to dominate these areas, leading to the emergence of modern-day Acadia.

The Acadians (French: Acadiens; European French: [akadjɛ̃], Acadian French: [akad͡zjɛ̃]) are an ethnic group descended from the French who settled in the New France colony of Acadia during the 17th and 18th centuries. Today, most descendants of Acadians live in either the Northern American region of Acadia, where descendants of Acadians who escaped the Expulsion of the Acadians (known as The Great Upheaval, Le Grand Dérangement) re-settled, or in Louisiana, where thousands of Acadians moved in the late 1700s. Descendants of the Louisiana Acadians are most commonly known as Cajuns, the anglicized term of "Acadian".

Acadia was one of the five regions of New France, located in what is now Eastern Canada's Maritime provinces, as well as parts of Quebec and present-day Maine to the Kennebec River. It was ethnically, geographically and administratively different from the other French colonies such as the French colony of Canada. As a result, the Acadians developed a distinct history and culture. The settlers whose descendants became Acadians primarily came from the west-central region of France, such as the rural areas of Poitou-Charentes. During the French and Indian War (known in Canada as The Seven Years' War), British colonial officers suspected that Acadians were aligned with France, after finding some Acadians fighting alongside French troops at Fort Beauséjour. Though most Acadians remained neutral during the war, the British, together with New England legislators and militia, carried out the Great Expulsion (Le Grand Dérangement) of the Acadians between 1755 and 1764. They forcefully deported approximately 11,500 Acadians from the maritime region. Approximately one-third perished from disease and drowning. In retrospect, the result has been described as an ethnic cleansing of the Acadians from Maritime Canada.

The Cajuns (/ˈkeɪdʒənz/; French: les Cadjins [le kadʒɛ̃] or les Cadiens [le kadjɛ̃]), also known as Louisiana Acadians (French: les Acadiens), are an American ethnic group mainly found in the US state of Louisiana and the surrounding Gulf Coast states.

While Cajuns are usually described as the descendants of the Acadian exiles who went to Louisiana over the course of Le Grand Dérangement, Louisianians frequently use Cajun as a broad cultural term (particularly when referencing Acadiana) without necessitating race or descent from the deported Acadians. Although the terms Cajun and Creole today are often portrayed as separate identities, Louisianians of Acadian descent have historically been known as, and are, a subset of Creoles (synonymous for "Louisianais", which is a demonym for French Louisianians). Cajuns make up a significant portion of south Louisiana's population and have had an enormous impact on the state's culture.

The Petitcodiac River (/pɛtiˈkoʊdiæk/ ) is a river located in south-eastern New Brunswick, Canada. Local tourist businesses often refer to it as the "chocolate river" due to its distinctive brown mud floor and brown waters. Stretching across a meander length of 79 kilometres (49 miles), the river traverses Westmorland, Albert, and Kings counties, draining a watershed area of about 2,071 square kilometres (800 sq mi). The watershed features valleys, ridges, and rolling hills, and is home to a diverse population of terrestrial and aquatic species. Ten named tributaries join the river in its course toward its mouth in Shepody Bay. Prior to the construction of a causeway in 1968, the Petitcodiac River had one of the world's largest tidal bores, which ranged from 1 to 2 metres (3.3–6.6 ft) in height and moved at speeds of 5 to 13 kilometres per hour (3.1–8.1 mph). With the opening of the causeway gates in April 2010, the river is flushing itself of ocean silts, and the bore is returning to its former size.

The Mi'kmaq were the first to settle near the river, who used it as part of a portage route between Shubenacadie and the village of Petitcodiac, where they had a winter camp. In 1698, the region was colonized by Acadians from Port Royal, Nova Scotia; however, they were later expelled in 1755 during the Seven Years' War. During this period, Acadian resistance fighters based in Village-des-Blanchard (now Hillsborough) fought under the command of French leader Charles Deschamps de Boishébert in the Battle of Petitcodiac, attempting to repel British troops but ultimately suffering the destruction of most of their settlement. Three years later, British troops returned to the river and launched the Petitcodiac River Campaign. In the 1840s, the Greater Moncton area experienced a shipbuilding boom, which was halted following the arrival of the steam train, leading to the town's de-incorporation. These changes gradually marginalized the Petitcodiac River.

Lieutenant-General Robert Monckton (24 June 1726 – 21 May 1782) was a British Army officer, politician and colonial administrator. He had a distinguished military and political career, being second in command to General James Wolfe at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham and later being named the governor of New York. Monckton is also remembered for his role in a number of other important events in the French and Indian War, most notably the capture of Fort Beauséjour in Acadia, and the island of Martinique in the West Indies, as well as for his role in the expulsion of the Acadians from Nova Scotia and Acadia.

Monckton sat in the House of Commons of Great Britain between 1774 and 1782. Although never legally married, he had three sons and a daughter. The city of Moncton, New Brunswick (about 50 kilometres (31 mi) west of Fort Beauséjour) and Fort Monckton in Port Elgin, New Brunswick are named for him. A second more important Fort Monckton in Gosport, England is also named for him. It remains an active military establishment, and currently houses the training section of MI6.

The Acadians (French: Acadiens, European French: [akadjɛ̃], Acadian French: [akad͡zjɛ̃]) are an ethnic group descended from the French who settled in the New France colony of Acadia during the 17th and 18th centuries. Today, most descendants of Acadians live in either the Northern American region of Acadia, where descendants of Acadians who escaped the Expulsion of the Acadians (known as The Great Upheaval, Le Grand Dérangement) re-settled, or in Louisiana, where thousands of Acadians moved in the late 1700s. Descendants of the Louisiana Acadians are most commonly known as Cajuns, the anglicized term of "Acadian".

Acadia was one of the five regions of New France, located in what is now Eastern Canada's Maritime provinces, as well as parts of Quebec and present-day Maine to the Kennebec River. It was ethnically, geographically and administratively different from the other French colonies such as the French colony of Canada. As a result, the Acadians developed a distinct history and culture. The settlers whose descendants became Acadians primarily came from the west-central region of France, such as the rural areas of Poitou-Charentes. During the French and Indian War (known in Canada as The Seven Years' War), British colonial officers suspected that Acadians were aligned with France, after finding some Acadians fighting alongside French troops at Fort Beauséjour. Though most Acadians remained neutral during the war, the British, together with New England legislators and militia, carried out the Great Expulsion (Le Grand Dérangement) of the Acadians between 1755 and 1764. They forcefully deported approximately 11,500 Acadians from the maritime region. Approximately one-third perished from disease and drowning. In retrospect, the result has been described as an ethnic cleansing of the Acadians from Maritime Canada.