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History

The Expulsion

Beginning in 1755, British soldiers went from town to town, tricking the Acadians into gathering in one place, where they were imprisoned. With only the possessions they could carry, the Acadians were loaded onto ships. Sometimes families were separated. The Acadians were sent to British colonies along the Atlantic coast: Massachusetts, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, New York, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Virginia.

	Source
	The expulsion of the Acadians in 1755

The Acadians who were sent to New England found they were not welcome. Many starved and died. Some moved on to Louisiana. Some even made their way to England and then to France.

Some of the Acadians had managed to escape the soldiers by hiding in the woods. They went to Île Royale, Île Saint-Jean or to what is now the province of Quebec. Perhaps as many as 10 000 people were forced to leave their homes in Acadia from 1755 to 1763.

The lands they left behind were the best farmland in Nova Scotia. The land was taken over by New Englanders, Loyalists and other Protestant settlers.