Who is to blame for what befell Acadians in “Le Grand Derangement” of 1755: the heartlessness and stubbornness of Charles Lawrence; the pressure applied by the New England colonies to secure the region; the failure of British authorities to adequately supervise the situation in Nova Scotia; or the apathy and miscalculations of the Acadians?
The following is an attempt to trace the events and personalities who had a role to play in the Acadian tragedy of 1755.
In 1710 a British force under the command of Colonel Francis Nicholson captured Port Royal and renamed it Annapolis Royal. The articles of capitulation gave the British complete control over the inhabitants living within three miles. These inhabitants were Acadians, French settlers who considered themselves a separate people seeking little from France and receiving nothing. They were content to be left alone.
The British, however, saw the Acadians as potential enemies. They were thus given the choice of taking an oath of allegiance or moving elsewhere. When Nicholson became Governor of Nova Scotia in 1712, the Acadians were given one year to leave, but those who chose to stay would be granted freedom of religion providing they took the oath.
Then in the winter of 1714-1715, the Board of Trade changed course and required them to remain. Given that the Acadians were not inclined to leave in any event, this decision caused little concern among the Acadians whose attitude was to ignore the politics of Europe.
In 1714 Thomas Caulfield, Lieutenant-Governor of the fort at Annapolis Royal, sought an unqualified oath of allegiance from the Acadian population. What he received was a signed document acknowledging the English king as their legitimate sovereign.
The French stronghold at Louisbourg and their claim on the fishery at Canso prompted the British authorities to pay closer attention to their Nova Scotia holdings. In 1717 Colonel Richard Phillips and Captain John Doucett were appointed Governor and Lieutenant-Governor respectively. The Acadians were to lose their freedom to emigrate and were to swear an unqualified oath.
In 1720, Phillips set about fulfilling the mandate assigned to him. The governor developed a sound relationship with the Acadians. They were allowed to elect deputies who would bring their concerns to him. Once again they were presented with a deadline, once again they ignored it and resubmitted the signed document.
Phillips left in 1722 and Nova Scotia was largely neglected. The Acadian diaspora, in the meantime, thrived. They were free to practice their religion and their numbers increased from 1,773 in 1714 to 10,000 in 1749.
The next development in the saga came with the appointment of Lawrence Armstrong as Governor-General of the province. Once again the subject of an oath of loyalty was pursued. Acadians were agreeable but sought an exemption freeing them from bearing arms. At this point, Armstrong lost patience, imprisoned four Acadian priests, and had the house of a fifth pillaged. The Board of Trade, disappointed by Armstrong’s tactics, recalled him and had him replaced by Phillips who returned late in 1729.
In 1730 Phillips reported the total compliance of the Acadians. What he didn’t report was that this compliance was based on his promise to exempt them from bearing arms. In 1731 Phillips was recalled. He served as governor for 30 years, but fewer than six were spent in the province.
Later in 1731, Armstrong reappeared in Nova Scotia. For eight years he dealt with the Acadians, but nothing changed regarding the situation, and by this time they were quite certain that they would not be forced to bear arms. After all they had the promise made by Phillips. Unfortunately, they did not realize this promise had not received the endorsement of the British Parliament. This communication failure would have dire consequences.