A Great and Noble Scheme: The tragic story of the expulsion of the French Acadians from their American Homeland, by John Mack Faragher (HC, 562 pages, 2005, $4)
This is one horrifying bit of history. Once upon a time there was an independent group of people living in Acadia, Nova Scotia. They were French, and Catholic, but they got along better with their English New England Protestant neighbors than they did their other neighbors who were French. The Acadians also were friends with their native neighbors, the Mikmaqs. When war came between France and England, the Acadians refused to fight on the side of the French, and they refused to fight on the side of the English. There was grumbling on both sides, but for a time they were left alone.
By 1755 everything had changed. The Pennsylvania Gazette wrote, "We are now upon a great and noble Scheme of sending the neutral French out of this Province, who have always been secret Enemies, and have encouraged our Savages to cut our Throats. If we effect their Expulsion, it will be one of the greatest Things that ever the English did in America; for by all Accounts, that Part of the Country they possess, is as good Land as any in the World: In case therefore we could get some good English Farmers in their Room, this Province would abound with all Kinds of Provisions."
Of course, the Gazette had it a bit wrong. The Acadians had not been secret enemies, and they had not encouraged Natives to attack the English, but no one cared.
What they did get right was the part about the land being fertile, really fertile. In order for "some good English Farmers" to take over that fertile land, the Acadians had to go . So New England troops "acting under the authority of the colonial governors of Nova Scotia and Mass... systematically round[ed] up more than 7,000 Acadians, the French-speaking, Catholic inhabitants who lived in communities along the shores of the Bay of Fundy. Men, women, and children alike were crowded into transport vessels and deported in small groups to other British colonies across the continent of North America. Many families were separated... some never to meet again. Another 10,000 or more fled into the forests and spent years living as homeless refugees. Thousands of them were captured and deported to France, while others took up arms in guerrilla resistance. Meanwhile, their property was plundered, their communities were torched, their lands were seized." Amazingly, from all over America and Europe many Acadians were able to make their way to Louisiana. Some families were united. Most were not.
Not until 2003 would Canada acknowledge their part in this tragedy. The United States still has not. Few people here even know the story. Perhaps some day we will.
Our history is filled with stories of all the good things we have done, both as individuals and as a country. Our history, though, is also filled with some not-so-pretty stories. Without facing our ability to do evil, we risk repeating those things we would now rather deny.
Look for this fascinating book on the new non-fiction table. (L- AmH)
