Early European Settlement Page 57 - 60

French and British

In the early 1600s, immigrants from England and France began to settle in the Atlantic region. A person who leaves his or her home country to settle in another.

The British and French wanted to tap into the region’s fish and fur.

Throughout the 1600s and much of the 1700s, the British (English) and French fought fiercely for control of the region.

How did European territorial claims change between 1690 and 1713? How was the Atlantic region affected?

After decades of war, the Treaty of Paris gave England control of the Atlantic region in 1763.

"Early Acadia" by Claude T. Picard The Acadians Acadians were immigrants from France. Ownership of the Acadian colonies was tossed back and forth between the French and the English. "Early Acadia" by Claude T. Picard

“Oath of Allegiance” by Claude T. Picard The Acadians tried to stay neutral at the time. They promised to be loyal to the British as long as they wouldn’t have to fight the French or the native people. This worked… for a while. “Oath of Allegiance” by Claude T. Picard

In 1755, the Acadians were forced to swear an unconditional oath to England. This meant they would have to fight against the French. Most of them refused.

The British ordered the Acadians to be deported with nothing The British ordered the Acadians to be deported with nothing. All their belongings would become British property. “The Deportation Order” by Claude T. Picard

The British military destroyed Acadian communities - their homes and barns were burned down. Families were torn apart and many lost everything they owned. Acadians call this event the Grand Dérangement. In English this event is known as the Expulsion.

An artist’s depiction of the expulsion of Acadians at Fort Amherst.

Deportation of the Acadians The Acadians were dispersed among the Thirteen Colonies, but many places refused them and sent them on to Europe.

Some Acadians fled to Mi’kmaq territories in PEI and Cape Breton before the British troops arrived for the expulsion.

Nova Scotia agreed to give them land if they would swear an oath of allegiance to England.

Other Acadians fled to the Louisiana Territory in the USA and are now known as “Cajun.”

The Arrival of the Acadians in Louisiana by Robert Dafford

Deportation of the Acadians Video

The Loyalists Many English-speaking settlers came from the Thirteen Colonies to counterbalance the French population.

Seen as traitors to the Americans for wanting to remain faithful to England, the Loyalists came to NS and NB because they were offered land. The land they were offered was the land originally farmed by the Acadians.

Scottish The name Nova Scotia actually means New Scotland. During the late 1700s, many settlers came from Scotland to PEI and NS. Of the 40 000 people who left Scotland, about 10 000 of them settled in Cape Breton.

Irish In 1846, the Great Potato Famine of Ireland forced millions of people to emigrate. Hundreds of thousands came to the Atlantic region in search of a better life.

African Throughout the 1600’s and 1700’s, British traders captured people in West Africa and brought them to North America to be sold as slaves. Halifax was part of the slave trade.

Many American slaves fled through the “underground railway” to Canada for refuge.