The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #137223 Message #3139349
Posted By: Ed T
20-Apr-11 - 07:58 PM
Thread Name: BS: Why Britain wants Las Malvinas
Subject: RE: BS: Why Britain wants Las Malvinas
Gnu, there is indeed much history (on the internet, in books and elsewhere) about events around the expulsion of the Acadians. I agree, there was much unecessary suffering and distruction associated. As Daniel Paul indicated in his book on the British and the Native community,the British (or the period) recorded everything.
Some related statements and observatons on the topic:
""Almost from the beginning of their regime in 1713, the British governors of Acadie faced a dilemma. They feared and distrusted the Acadians, but could do nothing but to keep them on the land.
It wasn't their first choice. Indeed, almost from the beginning, the British thought about expelling the Acadians. In a letter sent to Queen Anne announcing the fall of Port Royal, the army commanders Francis Nicholson and Samuel Vetch proposed, "In order to bring the native Indians entirely under your Majesty's subjection as well as to convert them to the protestant (sic) religion it will be necessary to transport all the French from the country save such as shall come over to the Protestant religion."
The big problem was that there were nearly 2,000 Acadians in 1713 and fewer than 500 Anglos at Annapolis Royal. The Acadians knew how to nurture the land - and provide the food the British garrison needed. As much as the British wanted to send the Acadians away, it just wasn't practical.""
""Colonel Richard Phillips (governor of the Acadian peninsula 1717 until 1749) wrote to his superiors in London: "(The Acadians) cannot be let go now at least. Their departure, if they went to...Cape Breton, would render our neighbors too powerful. We need them to erect fortifications and to provision our forts till the English are powerful enough to go on."
The officials in London wrote back: "As to the Acadians of Nova Scotia,...we are apprehensive they will never become good subjects to His Majesty....We are of (the) opinion they ought to be removed as soon as the forces which we have proposed be sent to you shall arrive in your Province. But...you are not to attempt their removal without His Majesty's positive order...(and) will do well in the meantime to continue the same prudent and cautious conduct towards them.""
""In 1746, Governor William Shirley of Massachusetts wrote to officials in England that "the enemy will soon find a way to wrest Acadia from us if we do not remove the most dangerous French inhabitants and replace them with English families.""
Source
So, there was a reason the British sought the cooperation of the Acadians in the eary years. They were excellent farmers, and fed the isolated British troops.
Genocide would most likely be an incorrect term. Ethnic cleaning, for whatever the reason (military, political, financial gain), would be closer. The Canadian WW2 Japanese internment/deportation was similar, in that both caused much suffering,slavery like conditions, relocation,and family breakup mostly for racist type reasons of the time.
Stating only that "It wasn't nice" IMO, "belittles" the displacement, family break up, economic hardship, suffering and high death rate that resulted.
The background of "the oath" is much more complex then presented earlier (see below) It also involved a conflict between Acadians RC religion, and the Anglican church. Acadians were led to believe from the local British representatives(govenor Richard Phillips) that their commitment to neutrality was sufficient until Edward Cornwallis became govenor and disagreed. Governor Charles Lawrence (1754-60), who was extreme in his contempt for Acadians used "the oath" to justify the expulsion to officials in Britain and the deaths of many who did not leave.
""It was Lawrence who conceived and ordered the Removal of the Acadians in 1755. He led the Council1 which governed Nova Scotia to its decision to pass, on July 28, 1755, the following resolution in respect to the French residents of Nova Scotia, the Acadians:
"After mature consideration it was unanimously agreed, that, to prevent as much as possible their attempting to return and molest the settlers that may be set down on their lands, it would be most proper to send them to be distributed amongst the several colonies on the continent, and that a sufficient number of vessels should be hired with all possible expedition for that purpose."" (resettling the land with protestant, English speaking folks, was obviously in the works)
""In the fall of 1726, Major Lawrence Armstrong became the provincial administrator. He, like his predecessors, were determined to force the Acadians to take the oath of allegiance. Once again, the Acadians refused to take it unless it contained a clause that they would not be forced to fight against the French. Armstrong agreed to insert the clause, and did - in the margin of the French translation only. There was no such clause in the English version that was sent to London.
Finally, in November 1739, Governor Phillips himself came to Acadia to get the oath of allegiance that his lieutenants had not been able to wrest from the Acadians. He reported the following September that all Acadians "of all parishes" had taken the oath, receiving "entire submission of all those so long obstinate people." He did it, he said, without "threats or compulsion, nor have I prostituted the King's honor in making a scandalous capitulation in his name."
The oath signed by the Acadians read, "Je Promets et Jure Sincerement en Foi de Chretien que Je serai entierement Fidele, et Obeirai Vraiment Sa Majeste Le Roy George le Second, qui je reconnais pour Le Souverain Seigneur de L'Acadie ou Nouvelle Ecosse. Ainsi Dieu me Soit en Aide." (I promise and swear sincerely as a Christian that I will be entirely faithful, and truly obey His Majesty King George II, who I acknowledge as Supreme Lord of Acadia or Nova Scotia. So help me God.)
But there were some conditions attached to the Acadian oaths that did not appear in the papers that were sent to London, but they wre recorded in sworn affidavit made by two French priests of the area, Fathers Charles de la Goudalie and Noel Alexandre De Noinville, who certified that "His Excellency Richard Phillips...has promised to the inhabitants of (the Minas Basin) and other rivers dependent thereon, that he exempts them from bearing arms and fighting in wars against the French and the Indians, and that the said inhabitants have only accepted allegiance and promised never to take up arms in the event of war against the Kingdom of England and its Government.""