Open AccessAcadian Expulsion of 1755 as an Expression of British Imperial Interests
Author(s) -
Yannick Grig
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
the general brock university undergraduate journal of history
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2371-8048
DOI - 10.26522/tg.v7i1.3649
Subject(s) - allegiance , homeland , deportation , empire , british empire , history , expression (computer science) , sign (mathematics) , simplicity , protestantism , imperial unit system , law , sociology , ancient history , political science , philosophy , immigration , epistemology , politics , mathematical analysis , mathematics , computer science , programming language
This paper seeks to answer the question “why did the British Empire expel the Acadians from their homeland in 1755?” Despite the simplicity of the question, the answer is decidedly more complex. This essay goes through the many factors contributing to their deportation, from historical equivalents that proved the expulsion was not an isolated event, the Acadians’ inability to comprehend what was coming and respond accordingly as well as their refusal to sign oaths of allegiance, and the British designs for Acadia as a potential Protestant colony suitable for economic growth and defence against the French Empire. This paper also discusses the significant roles individual actors like William Shirley and Charles Lawrence played by acting on their own accord, and how the British justified an act many considered reprehensible, even in the 18th century, due to it being part of a wider Imperial attitude.