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Arichat, N.S.
The second story I want to share with you is one of John Paul Jones. John Paul Jones was a famous privateer during the American Revolution and he was one of the, one of the most famous patriots of the American Revolution. In other words, his aim was to get rid of all British presence in North America, and of course, he hit here in Île Madame. The establishment of Charles Robin, which was a Jerseyman and these Jerseymen, they were from the English Channel. The Channel Islands they call it, and they spoke French but were British subjects and they were Protestants. So they could function very well in Canada where at that point and time in a colony where the penal laws were applied. In other words, if you're Catholic, papist, you weren't allowed to have any kind of, any ability to do any commerce, you weren't allowed to trade or anything, you weren't allowed to hold any kind of position in government or in governmental positions. So these people came here really to do that and also, at the same time, exploit the Acadians. So John Paul Jones came into the harbour in Arichat. He burnt the establishment to the ground and he took with him three full vessels of what we'd call commercial goods with them, with him to the American colonies, and this precipitated the Robin Jones to rebuild in Arichat, but they built really in the interior of the harbour, which would give them a natural protection from ocean going vessels. So, the thing is if you look at the, at the book that John Mack Faragher wrote, The Great and Nobel Scheme. He makes very good argument that the American Revolution, the revolution of 1776 was the rational between, you know, the rational to deport the Acadians, because these Loyalists that were in the thirteen colonies at the time were looking for a place to come and the Acadian, really, situation was one of prosperity and of course, it was a logical one to get. So in my opinion, I think Faragher is one of the, he's one of the authors, really, that hits the nail right on the head as to why the deportation happened.
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Title: Arichat, N.S.
Description: Gabriel LeBlanc tells the story of the attack led by John Paul Jones on the village of Arichat, N.S., during the American Revolution.
Subjects: villages
Source: Connections Productions
Language: English
Date: 2007-03-05
Creator: Connections Productions
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