From the Grand Dérangement to the Deportation of the Acadians

For many decades, the expressions "Grand Dérangement" and "Deportation" were considered synonyms that designated the dark years surrounding the expulsion of the Acadians in the middle of the 18th century. However, a closer examination of the historical documents of the period, created by the deportees themselves, reveals that the Grand Dérangement extended over a longer period, beginning as early as 1749 when Halifax was founded by the British, or 1750, when the French ordered the destruction of the Acadian villages in the Beaubassin region. The actual Deportation of the Acadians, which constitute the most significant years of the Grand Dérangement, started in the fall of 1755 in the region around Fort Beauséjour and ended in 1764. According to some contemporary historians, the turmoil caused by the Grand Dérangement only ended around the 1780's or even the early 19th century.
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