The Acadians (French Acadiens, are the descendants of the 17th-century French Colonists who settled in Acadia located in the Canadian Maritime Provinces, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island, Québec, and in the US State of Maine.
Acadia was a colony of New France. Although today most of the Acadians and Québécois are Francophone Canadians, Acadia was a distinct colony of New France, and was geographically and administratively separate from theFrench colony of Canada (modern day Québec, which led to Acadians and Québécois developing two rather distinct histories and cultures. The settlers whose descendants became Acadians came from all the regions of France but coming predominantly directly from the cities.
Prior to the BritishConquest of Acadia in 1710, the Acadians lived for almost 80 years in Acadia. After the Conquest they lived under British rule for the next forty-five years. During the French and Indian War, British colonial officers and New England legislators and militia executed the Great Expulsion of 1755-1763. They deported more than 14,000 Acadians from the maritime region. Approximately one third perished. One historian compared this event to a contemporary ethnic cleansing while other historians have suggested the event is comparable with other deportations in history. Many later settled in Louisana where they became known as Cajuns. Others were transported to France. Later on many Acadians returned to the Maritime provinces of Canada, most specifically New Brunswick.
