The Expulsion of the Acadians
The Acadians had a very tough lifestyle to adapt to. At first they had to adapt to the French, and then eventually to the British rule. After the Treaty of Utrecht the Acadians realized that they had to recognize British rule . At the beginning they refused. They wanted to keep their religious freedom, and everything that they had. At first they were allowed to, but that ended in 1730. In 1749 Halifax was founded to reduce the influence of Louisbourg. This New capital city would not need to be dependent on the Acadians for supplies and it could serve as a landing sight for significant troops in the military. With the military being present some Acadians were nervous, and some even left for Nova Scotia or Prince Edwards land. The governor Charles Lawrence did not trust the Acadians because he thought that they were in cahoots with the natives. Charles made the Acadians take the oath of allegiance to the British. If an Acadian refused they were threatened with deportation to France. Charles Lawrence followed through on his threats after inquiring with the colonial courts. On July 28th 1755 Acadians began to get arrested and were deported. The Acadians were assembled at a Church in Grand Pre in order to give up all of their possessions and to be told that they were being deported. During the trip across the Ocean, while being deported, many Acadians died of illness, starvation, drowning, and overall misery.