Maine's Acadian Community: "Evangeline," Le Grand Dérangement, and Cultural Survival

Acadie, Evangeline, and the Acadian Diaspora

Acadie, or Acadia, was a region in North America founded by French immigrants in the early 1600s. The land, comprising much of what today is known as Nova Scotia, Maine, and Quebec, is situated on Mi'kmaq Homelands and the Homelands of other Wabanaki peoples. Acadians were forcibly removed from Acadie by British and American government agents multiple times in the interest of re-settling Acadian farmland with Protestants. The Acadie in Longfellow's poem draws from history, and "Evangeline" became a cultural touchstone for people in the Acadian Diaspora in the 19th and 20th centuries. How does this timeline help to contextualize the story of Le Grand Dérangement? What questions do you still have?

1604 CE

1755 CE

1760 CE

1820 CE

1842 CE

1847 CE

1902 CE

1992 CE

2002 CE