Acadian Redemption: From Beausoleil Brossard to the Queen's Royal Proclamation

by Warren A. Perrin

Acadian Redemption, the first biography of an Acadian exile, defines the 18th century society of Acadia into which Joseph dit Beausoleil Broussard was born in 1702. The book explains his early life events and militant struggles with the British who had, for years, wanted to lay claim to the Acadians' rich lands. The book discusses the repercussions of Beausoleil's life that resulted in the evolution of the Acadian culture into what is now called the Cajun culture. More than 50 vintage photographs, maps, and documents are included.

Genres: History, American History, Nonfiction

175 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Shomeret · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a set of materials that relate to the Acadian resistance fighter Beausoleil Broussard, the history of Acadia, the expulsion from Acadia, the Broussard family, the Cajuns of Lousiana and the petition for an apology from the British Crown for the expulsion of the Acadians from Canada. Not all of these materials were written by Warren A. Perrin. In addition to historical documents that are included as part of the text, there are also parts of the book written by others.

Warren Perrin is a descendant of Beausoleil who is an Acadian rights activist and an attorney. He is the one who petitioned the British Crown for an apology. The result was a day commemorating the expulsion beginning in 2005.

I was impressed with the thoroughness of the documentation and the author's dedication, but there was some repetition which indicated to me that more editing was needed.

There was a mention of an investigation to determine who was responsible for the Acadian expulsion. I read John Mack Farragher's book about the Acadian expulsion and got the impression that parties south of the Canadian border were heavily implicated.

[Jessica Gallant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well researched. It had much info I was looking for. It compiles history nicely from before the Deportation and after, including ancestors and their photos.
I appreciated the charts and illustrations.

[Missy LeBlanc Ivey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very easy read centered on Joseph "Beausoleil" Broussard's character. Joseph was my 6th great-grandfather. It mentions just a little about one of his sons, Amand Broussard, my 5th great-grandfather.

It also gave a pretty good imagery on what he most likely had gone through before actually being exiled from Canada and how he ended up here in Louisiana. The book provides a few copies of original documents and an extensive source list you can look into for further research...and that's exactly what I'm going to do. Be leary though because a lot of this information is based on other's research. Try to find where original sources could be located.

[Eric Arnold · Rating 3 out of 5]

Made me really proud to be Acadian. They and the Mik'maw created an egalitarian, fiercely independent society that rejected racial divisions and fought back against the tyranny of the British. Students of Canadian and American history will find this interesting, as will people studying historical instances of ethnic cleansing