What circumstances surrounded Acadians in Quebec in the period1840 to 1900 that compelled them to undertake such a massive emigration movement towards the United States of America?

Over the years, my main focus has centered on Lanoue displacements in particular since the name Lanoue has been the main subject of my research. However, it seems quite obvious to me that there are many other fellow Acadians and French Canadians who are also interested and concerned about this segment of Canadian history.
During these anxious and turbulent times, the Acadians were subject to deportation to various areas. In one instance, members of one Rene Lanoue family were relocated to a city in Carolina. The Residents of this city resented having these poor people in their midst and, consequently, employed them in ways similar labor and without compensation.

Fortunately, this one Lanoue family had the advantage of being accomodated by a sensible owner. Nevertheless, in order to be accepted in the community, they were encouraged to put their past behind them and try to acclimate themselves to the local environment. In this context, the Lanoue family assumed the name Lanneau that sounded more English than French and would be more favorably viewed by the local habitants. This Lanoue family remained permanently in the southern part of the United States.

Some forty odd Acadians were deported to England and remained there for several years. Then, the war finished, they were later transferred to France where they attempted to seek permanent settlement. Several Acadians settled in Belle-Isle-Sur-Mer in the general area of Morbihan in the southern part of Brittany. However, when word reached them that they had family ties in Louisiana, several Acadian families departes Brittany to join their relatives. I did not find any one with the name Lanoue in this group.

Another group of Acadians that included a Pierre Lanoue decided to venture forth to Louisiana. During their journey through Connecticut, Maryland. Then he followed Ohio river a Mississippi affluent, and the Mississippi river towards Louisiana. They elected not to go by the way of the sea. These Acadian families remained permanently in the souther part of the United States. So there is another Lanoue family that is established in the south of the United States but this family came from France. They were not Acadian descendants of Pierre Lanoue I.

The largest group of Acadians bearing the name Lanoue was deported to Connecticut, around Boston and to some of the surrounding states. At this point, I will not repeat all the details that I already noted in my segment "deportation of Acadians ". However I would like to draw your attention to the fact that, in those days, trips were generally accomplished by overland mode and not by sea. The popular notion that traveling by sea is romantic adventure is not always the case. In order for the Acadians to travel to Quebec by boat required expensive fares that most Acadians could not affordto pay. This is why they elected to travel the overland route, often having to go through forested areas and forging available waterways by canoe. One Acadian group did manage to leave New England by boat heading toward Quebec as their final destination and along the way founded an establishment in the Assumption areas north of Montreal. Could they be considered advanced scouts? Point people paving the way for others to follow? To be sure it was only a few years later that a large group of Acadians did travel the overland route towards Quebec.

Around the year 1774, at the time the New England Colonies were challenging the territorial rights of the Motherland by engaging in a general revolt that terminated in the Independence War, the Acadians had already left their place of exile. In an isolated case, there was talk of two brothers who started from the state of Georgia and traveled by foot all the way to Canada. An arduous trip that took several months to complete.

With the French Canadians, the Acadians shared the same language, the same religion,
same civilization and had endured the attacks of the same ennemies. (Les Acadiens du Quebec,
page 92, by Pierre Maurice Hébert)

The Acadian displacements can be simply summarized by a fervent desire on the part of all Acadians to live in peace, maintain their French language, and have the freedom to practice their chosen religion. In addition, they did not wish to become involved in a conflict in New England that did not relate to them. So one has to ask- While living in Quebec, what transpired? Were they categorized as second class citizens in view of their Franch background? Were they dissatisfied with living and working conditions? Was the political climate unfavorable at the time? Why, after less than fifty years, did the Acadians set in motion such an enormous emigration effort by moving southerly towards the United States of America, a movement that culminated around the year1900?

I will now review some of the motives that were probably involved:

The English monopolized not only the government but also controlled key posts and its civil servants and commerce.
When the Acadians were in exile, they did not have the chance to have education where and how they were held because of their deplacement status. The men, women and children were subjected to physical labor often working from dawn to dusk. They were in an environment foreign to them and removed form their own since they were in exile.
School facilities were not available for the children. Now, being in Canada,so it was very easy for the English to
manipulate the French people by treating them as ignorants, good for bad jobs. When we know that it was the English themselves who imposed these deplorable conditions.

During this time the Americans intensified their fight for independence successfully obtained in 1783. Loyalist supporters, ever faithful to the Crown of England, departed America and went to Canada.

England offered to them to pass to Canada and attracted them by any kind of advantages,
in addition to their offering grounds free and paying them the subsistence during three years.
(Les Acadiens du Quebec, p. 221-222, Hebert)

In what is now the current Province of Quebec, the Loyalists and British established about fifty townships in order to raise a defensive line against the invasion of the French Canadians. This defense creation served the Loyalist and British well in their scheme to exterminate the opposition on a large scale, victims being namely the French Canadians and the Acadians.

The Loyalists came to Quebec around 1775, twenty years after the deportation of Acadians. They were English
speaking, Protestant in faith, and monopolized lands that belonged to French Canadians. Years later, the Loyalists left Quebec returned to the United States having sold the lands they had acquired for nothing. The Acadians did not return to Acadia for a very good reason. The law authorizing the deportation of Acadians had not been repealed and is still in effet. Although remote, the genocide in theory is still possible.- (Inspired by page 92, Les Acadiens du Quebec, de P-M Hebert)

The Valley of St-Laurent had been cut in big landed concessions, or seigneuries, by the Frenchmen.
The families which them should pay a rent to the Lords who, in return, had tiny responsibilities towards
them. Almost all the remainder of the grounds of Low-Canada were controlled by the control surface
lies British, the Church or the north-American British Company of the grounds. That made almost
impossible the development independent of new agricultural areas. (Robert Nelson, le médecin rebelle
de Mary Soderstrom, page 211 )

The French Canadians wanted to change this situation and to abolish this system.

Lands that the Colonists had established and cleared in order to start raising their produce were repossessed and conceded to favored individuals of the English Governor. It was quite easy to see injustices that existed in the current laws at the time. In 1837-1838, the Patriots wanted the French Canadians to again take their righful place in the country. After making the government aware of the serious injustices meted out to the Acadians, it was decided that the same fate should be alloted to the French Canadians at another time. This is why the Patriots supported the leitmotiv: "Let us take the ground." "Let us seizeground."

The Cause of the patriots was similar to those of several other Acadians. London did not want to recognize their rights.Deputies of French Canadians tried to convince the government to change the laws that created such injustices. The Governor dissolved the legislative assembly whitout any formal action taken to repeal the laws. Years passed, fiery speeches were made but the English government was not swayed. As a result, the revolt took hold and thundered on as groups took up weapons. History books will recall it is as the "Rebellion of 1837-38", or the "Revolt of the Patriots." In the final analysis, they were not successful in their quest in view of circumstances that existed at the time. After the American Independence War, the Patriots felt that they now could look forward to getting support from the Americans to further their cause. However, the Americans who resided in close proximity to the border, did appear sympathetic in rending assistance to the Patriots, but they did not help in acting with them and officially remained neutral.

**

Frustated by the lack of a solution to existing problems, it came as no surprise that so many Quebecois left their homeland to relocate in the United States. There were those who sought refuge in the United States after the Patriots Revolt, and others who were seeking parcels of land otherwise unavailable in the Quebec area. Many joined their compatriots who had preceded them in American territories. The French Canadians who had sided with the American Rebels during the invasion in 1776, approximately 140 in number, were exiled after the uprising failure and were relocated in the northern part of  New York State. Also any hundred families the most settled in State of Vermont between 1807 and 1811 in order to flee from the reign of terror unleashed by the Craig governor.

**

At the beginning of the Revolt of the Patriots, a meeting was held in L'Acadie, Napierville. It was a gathering of inhabitants who lived along the Grande Ligne of Stanbridge to Saint-Athanase d'Iberville, Quebec. Very few with the Lanoue name took up arms to support this revolt. Among Patriots mentioned were Acadians: Granger, Paradis, Hebert, Lanoue, Dupuis. Pierre Granger, racket, was married to Marie-Anne Lanoue. Olivier Hebert, captain, was the son of Felicite Lanoue. Several others who did not take part in the uprising chose to hide in the states of Vermont and New York. After the failed uprising, the situation normalized and they were able to recover the majority of their land and were reunited with their families. In several instances, it was necessary to rebuild since the English had torched many buildings.

Summary
The reasons for the massive emigration to the United States can be summarized as follows: The Canadian pro-american outlook at the time of the American ar of Independence, the lack of available land due to English suppression, the injustices inflicted on the French Canadians and the Acadians, and the lure of suitable employment opportunities in the American factory system.

There is additional information available on this subject in the following French publications:

• Les Franco-Américains de la Nouvelle-Angleterre 1776-1930 par Yves Roby
• Robert Nelson, le médecin rebelle de Mary Soderstron
• Julie Papineau de Micheline Lachance
• Les Acadiens du Québec par Pierre-Maurice Hébert
• La Révolte des Patriotes par Fortin

**Album No III Français sujet: Les Rébellions de 1837 dans le Haut-Canada et le Bas-Canada, Imperial Oil Limited

Footnote to the above segment

For the benefit of my readers, I would like to share my thoughts for having written the above segment «The Great Acadian Disturbance After Their Arrival in Quebec». In view of the intricate meaning of my text, I realize that someone not familiar with the subject could easily misinterpret or misunderstand what I am trying to convey.

For many years now, I have studied the conduct and way of life of the Acadian people. Therefore, I probably have a keener inseght in the subject than the average person who would not be aware of all the problems the Acadians were subjected to during these turbulent times that included forced displacements to distant lands.

I also must say that my point of view is based on my being of Acadian descent, born and currently residing in Quebec, Canada, where the Lanoue family ties have been evident for many generations.

At the time I wrote this text, I kept the following questions in focus:

Why did the Acadians encounter so many problems at the time of their deportation? How come they were subjected to such painful displacements in the quest to find a country that would allow them freedom to speak their own language and practice their chosen religion? What made life so difficult for the Acadians in the English Colonies during their exile that lasted some thirteen years? Since their settlement in Quebec, Canada from 1772 to 1840 was a rightful claim, why was it contested?

Under normal conditions, one would have to assume that the Acadians would be comfortably settled in their new lands and able to safety raise their families for many generations to come. However, this did not come to pass for almost half of the Acadian population. Actually, if we include the French Canadians with the Acadians, there were 900,000 inhabitants from an overall population of 1,900,000 from Quebec who departed for the United States of America. In certain families, there was only one generation of children born in Quebec before these children became involved in the emigration process.

Thus, it is a combination of all these different factors that encouraged me to ask and write about the question: Why did this massive emigration to the United States of America have to take place?

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