Acadia In The 18th Century

In the early 18th century, North America was divided into the English speaking colonies, the French-speaking colonies, the French colonies which included Acadia and Louisiana; and Spanish territories in the South-West in the USA. There was no clear line of what Canada was and what the USA was. The border areas were dangerous places at that time as the tension between Britain and French was clearly tangible. The territory of Acadia has gone through multiple changes of claims. In 1613 British people had destroyed Port Royal and claimed Nova Scotia for the first time from 1621 to 1632 and the second time from 1654 to 1670. In 1710 Nova Scotia was finally captured and with the Treaty of Utrecht three years later it was given to Britain. French …show more content…
The deportation was also referred to as an attempt of “ethnical cleansing.” In the song “Acadian Driftwood” the Band sings about the English taking away the home of the Acadians:

In the first verse he is saying that it is freezing cold and that it is minus fifteen degrees which is normal for this area. However, it seems like fishing is not something he is pleased by. Acadians were great farmers, hunters and did do fishing for a living. Acadians provided exports such as fish to pay for the needed imports. The Stables Theory is applicable here. Yet they were deprived of their land, which contained of good soil, by the British and were forced to fish to survive. As fishermen, they were exploited and exposed to great dependency and poverty.
The second verse deals with the Acadians heading to Saint Pierre. After the Treaty of Paris in 1763, the Acadians were told that they only had a few months to relocate to French soil. Since St.Pierre and Miquelon were two of the last French colonies left in North America, a high number of Acadians sailed there. However, the islands were too small to accommodate them all so they told them "You better keep movin' …show more content…
A majority settled in New Brunswick. There was a restriction though for resettling their former lands that were at this point already taken by New England settlers. One consequence of settling down in the Maritime Provinces was that they had to assimilate to the locals.
The chorus of the song mainly deals with the nomadic living they had to live after their expulsion by the British because they were people of French ancestry and they were afraid of being backstabbed. The driftwood which floats on the ocean trying to reach the shore and the mention of the “gypsy tail wind” are an indication of that. You are thrown around with no destination because a cold front, the enemy came, and took away your land.

The last part, the French part, deals with the Acadians longing for their home. They sound optimistic that they will eventually come back and resettle. The use of French is an indicator of their culture and it connects them to their homeland. It also forms a nice picture of the winter in Acadia. They are connected to the soil, to the resources they exploit and they love the Canadian weather. They cannot deal with the weather in Louisiana. Their heart and their body belongs to