The French were the first Europeans to explore the St. Lawrence River and the area south of the St. Lawrence which was named Acadie. Today this area is known as Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.
In 1603, Samuel de Champlain, on behalf of King Henry of France, undertook an expedition to the New World. In the following year, a settlement was established on St. Croix Island. Having endured a difficult winter, the settlement was relocated to Nova Scotia in 1605 at Port Royal on the Annapolis River but receiving no support from home, the colony was abandoned in 1607.
However, when resettlement occurred Port Royal became geographically strategic and thus a source of conflict between England and France; both of whom were desirous of claiming the North American continent.
In 1621, King James I of England granted all of Acadia to William Alexander thus setting off years of struggle between French and English forces for the fort at Port Royal. For decades, the colony changed hands several times. The Acadians, however, did not become involved in these military affairs.
In the 1630s and 1640s some 50 families established themselves in the region, many in the Annapolis Valley where they built intricate dykes and created fertile farmland. By the 1670s and ‘80s there were two main Acadian centres beside Port Royal; Beaubassin (Amherst) and des Mines (Grand Pre).
But the conflict between England and France over Acadia continued, and before being permanently turned over to English control in 1713, it changed hands 11 times.
But once English control was permanent, some English leaders wanted to remove the Acadians and settle their own people on the land. During the first 40 years of English rule (1713-1755), the Acadians remained prosperous and their population grew. Original settlements extended from Cape Sable Island in Nova Scotia to the Petitcodiac River Basin in New Brunswick. A distinct Acadian culture gradually evolved. The Acadians fished and farmed valuable farmlands that they claimed from the bay by building their dykes. A sense of community life and independence grew as they worked together to survive.
Gradually, the Acadians began to develop their own culture, and no longer considered themselves French. By the 17th century, their numbers had reached 2,000 and exact estimates of the population at the beginning of the deportation in 1755 range from 11,000 to 19,000.
The final struggle for North America began in 1754. The English were in control of Acadia when the war started. The Acadians were French in language and customs. The English feared that French priests would persuade the Acadians and Indians to enter the war against them.
Finally, England found a way to eliminate the French Neutrals, as the Acadians were called. The Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia, Charles Lawrence, demanded that the Acadians sign an oath of allegiance to England, but they maintained their neutrality. This provided Lawrence with the excuse he needed and English troops started gathering the men, and then their families. All who refused to take the oath were deported.