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A Great and Noble Scheme: The Tragic Story of the Expulsion of the French Acadians from Their American Homeland
John Mack Faragher draws on original research to weave 150 years of history into a gripping narrative of both the civilization of Acadia and the British plot to destroy it. In 1755, New England troops embarked on a "great and noble scheme" to expel 18,000 French-speaking Acadians ("the neutral French") from Nova Scotia, killing thousands, separating innumerable families, and driving many into forests where they waged a desperate guerrilla resistance. The right of neutrality; to live in peace from the imperial wars waged between France and England; had been one of the founding values of Acadia; its settlers traded and intermarried freely with native Mikmaq Indians and English Protestants alike. But the Acadians' refusal to swear unconditional allegiance to the British Crown in the mid-eighteenth century gave New Englanders, who had long coveted Nova Scotia's fertile farmland, pretense enough to launch a campaign of ethnic cleansing on a massive scale.
562 pages, Hardcover
First published February 28, 2005
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January 2, 2024
For staunch history buffs, this is a book you can sink your teeth into … an account of the despicable 1755 events that historians claim bear a striking resemblance to more recent ethnic cleansings, the Yugoslav succession, the Ottoman Turk operations against the Armenians, the Nazi war on the Jews, the Soviet deportation of the Chechens and the conflict between ethnic groups in Burundi and Rwanda.
Defined as “a purposeful campaign of one ethnic or religious group to remove, by violent and terror-inspiring means, the civilian population of another ethnic or religious group from a certain geographic area”, the operation was carried out by Anglo-American forces, deporting civilians, treating prisoners cruelly and inhumanely, and destroying communities needlessly.
This is marked as one of the most appalling episodes in North American history where children were separated from parents, husbands from wives, brothers from sisters. Retrieved, long-lost historical documents name the spiteful and reprehensible perpetrators. Read the book to see who has apologised for this travesty … and who has not …
Defined as “a purposeful campaign of one ethnic or religious group to remove, by violent and terror-inspiring means, the civilian population of another ethnic or religious group from a certain geographic area”, the operation was carried out by Anglo-American forces, deporting civilians, treating prisoners cruelly and inhumanely, and destroying communities needlessly.
This is marked as one of the most appalling episodes in North American history where children were separated from parents, husbands from wives, brothers from sisters. Retrieved, long-lost historical documents name the spiteful and reprehensible perpetrators. Read the book to see who has apologised for this travesty … and who has not …
July 19, 2019
THIS is the forest primeval. The murmuring pines and the hemlocks,
Bearded with moss, and in garments green, indistinct in the twilight,
Stand like Druids of eld, with voices sad and prophetic,
Stand like harpers hoar, with beards that rest on their bosoms.
Loud from its rocky caverns, the deep-voiced neighboring ocean
Speaks, and in accents disconsolate answers the wail of the forest.
This is the forest primeval; but where are the hearts that beneath it
Leaped like the roe, when he hears in the woodland the voice of the huntsman?
Where is the thatch-roofed village, the home of Acadian farmers,—
Men whose lives glided on like rivers that water the woodlands,
Darkened by shadows of earth, but reflecting an image of heaven?
Waste are those pleasant farms, and the farmers forever departed!
Scattered like dust and leaves, when the mighty blasts of October
Seize them, and whirl them aloft, and sprinkle them far o’er the ocean.
Naught but tradition remains of the beautiful village of Grand-Pré.
Ye who believe in affection that hopes, and endures, and is patient,
Ye who believe in the beauty and strength of woman’s devotion,
List to the mournful tradition, still sung by the pines of the forest;
List to a Tale of Love in Acadie, home of the happy.
I think I was in the seventh grade the first time I read these lines. And even at that age, the tragedy and heartbreak was unforgettable. What would make the story even more poignant is when, a few years later, I learned that it was based on a true event. Why was this done? What sort of reason was given, if any? What sort of people would do such a thing? Us sort, it turns out.
Being so invested in the story, I had to read this book. I wanted answer to my questions, and I wasn't disappointed, for the events are told in depth here. Beginning when the French Acadians first colonized the area, to their lives of harmony with the Mìkmaq Indians and their loyalty to their native culture that would be their undoing.
There are very few heroes here, but plenty of villains to go around: the British, who were unwilling to allow anything but absolute obedience, and destroyed the Acadians rather then allow them to return to France; the governor of Massachusetts who devised the scheme, the soldiers of his state who were more than willing to carry out the decree of expulsion, so eager were they for more land; the French, who left their colony completely unprotected while at the same time using French priests to stir up the inhabitants. All three bear their share of blame for this attempt at ethnic cleansing.
We can only be thankful that they were unsuccessful, even though thousands died. And though they were purposely sent to widely dispersed areas, many Acadians would eventually find their way home, while others, like those who settled in Louisiana and would come to be called Cajun, would create a new culture for themselves in their new homeland.
The book is long and extremely detailed. But I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in the history of Nova Scotia or the northeastern area of the US, Cajun history, or in the story "of a people born on the margins of empire who sought a way to live with two master." And who failed.
Still stands the forest primeval; but under the shade of its branches
Dwells another race, with other customs and language.
Only along the shore of the mournful and misty Atlantic
Linger a few Acadian peasants, whose fathers from exile
Wandered back to their native land to die in its bosom.
In the fisherman’s cot the wheel and the loom are still busy;
Maidens still wear their Norman caps and their kirtles of homespun,
And by the evening fire repeat Evangeline’s story,
While from its rocky caverns the deep-voiced, neighboring ocean
Speaks, and in accents disconsolate answers the wail of the forest.
Bearded with moss, and in garments green, indistinct in the twilight,
Stand like Druids of eld, with voices sad and prophetic,
Stand like harpers hoar, with beards that rest on their bosoms.
Loud from its rocky caverns, the deep-voiced neighboring ocean
Speaks, and in accents disconsolate answers the wail of the forest.
This is the forest primeval; but where are the hearts that beneath it
Leaped like the roe, when he hears in the woodland the voice of the huntsman?
Where is the thatch-roofed village, the home of Acadian farmers,—
Men whose lives glided on like rivers that water the woodlands,
Darkened by shadows of earth, but reflecting an image of heaven?
Waste are those pleasant farms, and the farmers forever departed!
Scattered like dust and leaves, when the mighty blasts of October
Seize them, and whirl them aloft, and sprinkle them far o’er the ocean.
Naught but tradition remains of the beautiful village of Grand-Pré.
Ye who believe in affection that hopes, and endures, and is patient,
Ye who believe in the beauty and strength of woman’s devotion,
List to the mournful tradition, still sung by the pines of the forest;
List to a Tale of Love in Acadie, home of the happy.
I think I was in the seventh grade the first time I read these lines. And even at that age, the tragedy and heartbreak was unforgettable. What would make the story even more poignant is when, a few years later, I learned that it was based on a true event. Why was this done? What sort of reason was given, if any? What sort of people would do such a thing? Us sort, it turns out.
Being so invested in the story, I had to read this book. I wanted answer to my questions, and I wasn't disappointed, for the events are told in depth here. Beginning when the French Acadians first colonized the area, to their lives of harmony with the Mìkmaq Indians and their loyalty to their native culture that would be their undoing.
There are very few heroes here, but plenty of villains to go around: the British, who were unwilling to allow anything but absolute obedience, and destroyed the Acadians rather then allow them to return to France; the governor of Massachusetts who devised the scheme, the soldiers of his state who were more than willing to carry out the decree of expulsion, so eager were they for more land; the French, who left their colony completely unprotected while at the same time using French priests to stir up the inhabitants. All three bear their share of blame for this attempt at ethnic cleansing.
We can only be thankful that they were unsuccessful, even though thousands died. And though they were purposely sent to widely dispersed areas, many Acadians would eventually find their way home, while others, like those who settled in Louisiana and would come to be called Cajun, would create a new culture for themselves in their new homeland.
The book is long and extremely detailed. But I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in the history of Nova Scotia or the northeastern area of the US, Cajun history, or in the story "of a people born on the margins of empire who sought a way to live with two master." And who failed.
Still stands the forest primeval; but under the shade of its branches
Dwells another race, with other customs and language.
Only along the shore of the mournful and misty Atlantic
Linger a few Acadian peasants, whose fathers from exile
Wandered back to their native land to die in its bosom.
In the fisherman’s cot the wheel and the loom are still busy;
Maidens still wear their Norman caps and their kirtles of homespun,
And by the evening fire repeat Evangeline’s story,
While from its rocky caverns the deep-voiced, neighboring ocean
Speaks, and in accents disconsolate answers the wail of the forest.
May 20, 2014
This book clearly lays out the difference between the French and the British in their approach to colonization of North America. It's a good companion to David Hackett Fischer's Champlain's Dream.
Some key points:
1. The French (Acadians) tended to view the native Americans as more-or-less co-equals, intermarrying and adopting many of their practices.
2. Many French Acadians were master farmers, draining marshlands (like the Dutch) to create fertile fields and pastures. Early 1600s diaries show Acadians to be eating remarkably balanced and ample meals (complete with salads, fruits, meats). After kicking the Acadians out, the British realized how bad they, themselves, were at farming and brought back some Acadians as hired help---serfs, basically. Typical British move.
3. Acadians were a cussed independent lot. Reminds me of the quip attributed to Charles DeGaulle: "The French can never be for something. Only against." The British didn't like it much when the Acadians refused to swear loyalty to the King of England (or anybody else). So, out you go.
4. In the 1600s our lovely forebears in Boston colony launched military attacks against the Acadian settlements, burning some to the ground. They didn't like having Catholics so close.
5. The British did not send the Acadians to Louisiana, as is generally thought. They scattered them all over the eastern seaboard. The Acadians, themselves, discovered a warm welcome in Louisiana and started contacting relatives to join them there, leading to the creation of Cajun (as in "Acadian) culture.
This is another good book providing background information on how different North American cultures, different places, were built on different ideas. It leaves one wondering, "What if?"
Some key points:
1. The French (Acadians) tended to view the native Americans as more-or-less co-equals, intermarrying and adopting many of their practices.
2. Many French Acadians were master farmers, draining marshlands (like the Dutch) to create fertile fields and pastures. Early 1600s diaries show Acadians to be eating remarkably balanced and ample meals (complete with salads, fruits, meats). After kicking the Acadians out, the British realized how bad they, themselves, were at farming and brought back some Acadians as hired help---serfs, basically. Typical British move.
3. Acadians were a cussed independent lot. Reminds me of the quip attributed to Charles DeGaulle: "The French can never be for something. Only against." The British didn't like it much when the Acadians refused to swear loyalty to the King of England (or anybody else). So, out you go.
4. In the 1600s our lovely forebears in Boston colony launched military attacks against the Acadian settlements, burning some to the ground. They didn't like having Catholics so close.
5. The British did not send the Acadians to Louisiana, as is generally thought. They scattered them all over the eastern seaboard. The Acadians, themselves, discovered a warm welcome in Louisiana and started contacting relatives to join them there, leading to the creation of Cajun (as in "Acadian) culture.
This is another good book providing background information on how different North American cultures, different places, were built on different ideas. It leaves one wondering, "What if?"
December 2, 2013
This is a fantastic read detailing the history and expulsion of the Acadians, an episode that many have all but forgotten. I would particularly recommend this book to those who are of Cajun descent and have done some genealogy work, as the book discusses specific individuals and gives you a feel for the character of these men and women. The accounts in this book will give you a much greater appreciation for the struggles of these people and the journey that ultimately brought many of them to south Louisiana.
July 19, 2014
Among the particulars of the experience of the Acadiens, I thought this book offered some really interesting insights into the more abstract trends of the period regarding citizenship, individual rights, nation states, etc. The author could have gone more into this. But maybe it's better for the reader to figure it out on her own.
For example, the fact that people could take the oath towards the English monarch and become a citizen with all the attendant rights was a new thing that had recently been decided by a judge in a decision regarding other colonies (ignoring that second-class-citizenship-because-you're-catholic thing oh and also it doesn't extend to natives). Or what I found really interesting was how England and France were kind of both wooing the Acadiens because they desperately needed farmers living in the area who could provision the garrisons. There's some really interesting tension between the idea that a state owns the people when they own the land vs. individuals having some leverage because they provide value to the state.
It's really interesting how the typical story of the western hemisphere, currently, is that the British and settlers ended up dispossessing the native americans because of a wacky misunderstanding about what constitutes land stewardship. I.e., white people didn't get that the land belonged to the natives because they didn't see the signs typical in their own culture like permanent residences, fields of monoculture crops, etc. I'm not sure whether 'cultural misunderstanding' is supposed to pad the blow or make it worse. At any rate, to counter that idea is this example in the 16 and 17 hundreds of a people who came from a very similar european culture, of whom some could speak english, were Christian, farmed and lived in nearly the same ways as the English and New Englanders, but were still brushed aside in the name of expansion.
While I find that really interesting, it's also one of the ideas I keep getting caught on whenever the author delves into the "ethnic cleansing" theme. This seems like a transitional period from standard warfare to the horrific commodification and genocide of people later in the history. To repeat, I see it as a transition where the author sees it as a brand new thing. I'm not a historian, but my superficial understanding of warfare in olden times is that common people were always getting screwed over by it. Their crops and livestock were always getting destroyed as a double tactic of depriving them of food while provisioning the army. It was always a mentality of us against them and it was always, underneath, about claiming land and power. That a group of culturally foreign people were allowed for so long to hang around an area after their government lost claim to it and be offered citizenship in the conquerer's government is what strikes me as oddly modern about the whole story, not that they got kicked out.
I do appreciate that the author makes the distinction that war is often used as an excuse for ethnic cleansing, but I'm not sure that this stops being a war simply because it takes place over a century and the people are given lots of opportunities to assimilate and claim citizenship (which they never do) or get out. The idea that you have to have a legal excuse to kick people off of land that your empire wants is what strikes me as modern here. Even today, most people don't have sovereign ownership of their land; they have it by virtue of the government of the country it's contained in giving them rights to it. There are still plenty of countries where non-citizens can't own land or businesses. I mean, if your family has lived on and taken care of land in Hong Kong for generations but now after the handover from Britain to China, China wants to use eminent domain to use your land for something else, then it's not your land anymore. It's totally shitty, but it's not the holocaust.
This history was really, really interesting, I just never totally got on board with the tragic aspect of how it was told. Like, again, it talks about the lands of Nova Scotia being these people's "ancestral home" but in all other contexts I'm familiar with, we call this white people stealing land. I can't help but feel like the author is maybe putting a gloss on it by talking about how they reclaimed land in order not to trespass on Mikmaq territory and the alternate form of colonialism where they intermarried and blended cultures with the Mikmaq is really interesting, but you can't look at that completely outside the context of the larger picture which was that the natives of the entire continent were getting pushed out of the way by a rapidly increasing population up and down the coast. The author even sort of brags about the tremendous growth rate of the Acadiens. The fact that fewer Mikmaq were around in the later decades because they'd died off from disease is really sort of not exculpating.
Sorry to keep banging on the negative. Scattering the Acadiens in a half-assed unilateral way resulted in a lot of deaths and damage to their culture--but, again, the fact that it wasn't smoother is a result of a weaker state power wielded across an ocean and is thus a harbringer of greater independence for the individual--okay, okay, I'll stop. The English and the Protestant establishment did a lot of shitty things to other cultures. End of.
For example, the fact that people could take the oath towards the English monarch and become a citizen with all the attendant rights was a new thing that had recently been decided by a judge in a decision regarding other colonies (ignoring that second-class-citizenship-because-you're-catholic thing oh and also it doesn't extend to natives). Or what I found really interesting was how England and France were kind of both wooing the Acadiens because they desperately needed farmers living in the area who could provision the garrisons. There's some really interesting tension between the idea that a state owns the people when they own the land vs. individuals having some leverage because they provide value to the state.
It's really interesting how the typical story of the western hemisphere, currently, is that the British and settlers ended up dispossessing the native americans because of a wacky misunderstanding about what constitutes land stewardship. I.e., white people didn't get that the land belonged to the natives because they didn't see the signs typical in their own culture like permanent residences, fields of monoculture crops, etc. I'm not sure whether 'cultural misunderstanding' is supposed to pad the blow or make it worse. At any rate, to counter that idea is this example in the 16 and 17 hundreds of a people who came from a very similar european culture, of whom some could speak english, were Christian, farmed and lived in nearly the same ways as the English and New Englanders, but were still brushed aside in the name of expansion.
While I find that really interesting, it's also one of the ideas I keep getting caught on whenever the author delves into the "ethnic cleansing" theme. This seems like a transitional period from standard warfare to the horrific commodification and genocide of people later in the history. To repeat, I see it as a transition where the author sees it as a brand new thing. I'm not a historian, but my superficial understanding of warfare in olden times is that common people were always getting screwed over by it. Their crops and livestock were always getting destroyed as a double tactic of depriving them of food while provisioning the army. It was always a mentality of us against them and it was always, underneath, about claiming land and power. That a group of culturally foreign people were allowed for so long to hang around an area after their government lost claim to it and be offered citizenship in the conquerer's government is what strikes me as oddly modern about the whole story, not that they got kicked out.
I do appreciate that the author makes the distinction that war is often used as an excuse for ethnic cleansing, but I'm not sure that this stops being a war simply because it takes place over a century and the people are given lots of opportunities to assimilate and claim citizenship (which they never do) or get out. The idea that you have to have a legal excuse to kick people off of land that your empire wants is what strikes me as modern here. Even today, most people don't have sovereign ownership of their land; they have it by virtue of the government of the country it's contained in giving them rights to it. There are still plenty of countries where non-citizens can't own land or businesses. I mean, if your family has lived on and taken care of land in Hong Kong for generations but now after the handover from Britain to China, China wants to use eminent domain to use your land for something else, then it's not your land anymore. It's totally shitty, but it's not the holocaust.
This history was really, really interesting, I just never totally got on board with the tragic aspect of how it was told. Like, again, it talks about the lands of Nova Scotia being these people's "ancestral home" but in all other contexts I'm familiar with, we call this white people stealing land. I can't help but feel like the author is maybe putting a gloss on it by talking about how they reclaimed land in order not to trespass on Mikmaq territory and the alternate form of colonialism where they intermarried and blended cultures with the Mikmaq is really interesting, but you can't look at that completely outside the context of the larger picture which was that the natives of the entire continent were getting pushed out of the way by a rapidly increasing population up and down the coast. The author even sort of brags about the tremendous growth rate of the Acadiens. The fact that fewer Mikmaq were around in the later decades because they'd died off from disease is really sort of not exculpating.
Sorry to keep banging on the negative. Scattering the Acadiens in a half-assed unilateral way resulted in a lot of deaths and damage to their culture--but, again, the fact that it wasn't smoother is a result of a weaker state power wielded across an ocean and is thus a harbringer of greater independence for the individual--okay, okay, I'll stop. The English and the Protestant establishment did a lot of shitty things to other cultures. End of.
July 8, 2013
When you consider all the awful things that have been done to various groups of people over the last couple centuries, in particular the way Europeans have historically treated Africans and Native Americans, it is easy to understand why the Acadians and THEIR crummy lot have been somewhat forgotten. This book is a great reminder of why what happened to the Acadians is important. The expulsion of the Acadians from what is today Nova Scotia, Faragher points out, is an early example of what we today call ethnic cleansing. And it is important to remember that this ethnic cleansing happened almost a century before that more famous of American ethnic cleansings, the Trail of Tears. The success of this action set a precedent - it did actually prove to be possible for the British/New Englanders to round up and deport an entire ethnic group that they found troublesome. Faragher's research suggests that ten thousand exiles died as a result of this campaign (disease, shipwreck, starvation, exposure, in addition to guerrilla attacks and reprisals) and yet the world did not turn on the Americans or British for their actions.
This is one of those books that will cover an entire chapter of history for you. If you want to know about who the Acadians were, and are, and what happened to them, this is the tome for you. If you are only interested in the expulsion, you might find it a little long winded though. Faragher gives the entire history of the Acadians as a people leading up to the expulsion of the 1750s, plus he includes a little on the remnants of the Acadians afterwards and their attempts to build new communities, in Louisiana (the Cajuns) and in New Brunswick. All this info means that the expulsion doesn't actually happen until about 300 pages into the book. I was still wrapped up in it, because this is my wheelhouse, historically, and I'm fascinated by the decades of relations between the French in Acadia and the English in Massachusetts. They had long standing connections, especially through trade, as Faragher repeatedly illustrates, and it seems crazy to think that eventually Massachusettsites would choose to help eradicate these people. And yet. Faragher makes a good argument about how this really comes down to the actions of a group of men, who put this plan into motion and found that nobody stood in their way.
I read this while traveling in New Brunswick and PEI, and it was really ironic to read about the awful tragedy that happened to these people while visiting the Acadian shore of New Brunswick, where Acadian flags fly proudly from half the homes and everyone speaks french. It was really inspiring...the people who carried out this plan openly intended to destroy this entire culture. They wished to disperse them so thinly that they would be forced to blend with the protestant Americans and they would die as a distinct group. But it didn't work. And in the "Loyalist Province" today, you have a third of the population speaking French as their mother tongue. You can visit the Acadian historic village and eat Acadian food, and listen to Acadian radio and attend Acadian festivals. The Acadians won, in the long run. Way to go guys. I'm sorry my ancestors helped to deport you and then stole your farms.
This is one of those books that will cover an entire chapter of history for you. If you want to know about who the Acadians were, and are, and what happened to them, this is the tome for you. If you are only interested in the expulsion, you might find it a little long winded though. Faragher gives the entire history of the Acadians as a people leading up to the expulsion of the 1750s, plus he includes a little on the remnants of the Acadians afterwards and their attempts to build new communities, in Louisiana (the Cajuns) and in New Brunswick. All this info means that the expulsion doesn't actually happen until about 300 pages into the book. I was still wrapped up in it, because this is my wheelhouse, historically, and I'm fascinated by the decades of relations between the French in Acadia and the English in Massachusetts. They had long standing connections, especially through trade, as Faragher repeatedly illustrates, and it seems crazy to think that eventually Massachusettsites would choose to help eradicate these people. And yet. Faragher makes a good argument about how this really comes down to the actions of a group of men, who put this plan into motion and found that nobody stood in their way.
I read this while traveling in New Brunswick and PEI, and it was really ironic to read about the awful tragedy that happened to these people while visiting the Acadian shore of New Brunswick, where Acadian flags fly proudly from half the homes and everyone speaks french. It was really inspiring...the people who carried out this plan openly intended to destroy this entire culture. They wished to disperse them so thinly that they would be forced to blend with the protestant Americans and they would die as a distinct group. But it didn't work. And in the "Loyalist Province" today, you have a third of the population speaking French as their mother tongue. You can visit the Acadian historic village and eat Acadian food, and listen to Acadian radio and attend Acadian festivals. The Acadians won, in the long run. Way to go guys. I'm sorry my ancestors helped to deport you and then stole your farms.
May 20, 2017
"A Great and Noble Scheme: The Tragic Story of the Expulsion of the French Acadians from their American Homeland" est l'oeuvre d'un grand historien John Mack Faragher , professor d'histoire à Yale University. Les livres de la qualité de "Great and Noble Scheme" expliquent pourquoi Yale jouit d'une si grande réputation mondiale. Ca vaut vraiment la peine de lire cette brique.
Faragher consacre beaucoup de pages à expliquer l'histoire et la culture acadienne qui sont inconnus au grand public américain. Néanmoins, les Acadiens ne sont pas le sujet de ce livre. Le but de Faragher est d'analyser les individus qui ont planifié et effectué l'expulsion des Acadiens. Son jugement est sévere; il qualifie le Grand dérangement de nettoyage ethnique. Cependant, on ne lit pas son livre pour son jugement. Les canadiens savent d'avance, l'expulsion a été un très grande crime. On lit livre de Faragher pour pour sa présentation magistrale des tous les petits détails.
Faragher consacre beaucoup de pages à expliquer l'histoire et la culture acadienne qui sont inconnus au grand public américain. Néanmoins, les Acadiens ne sont pas le sujet de ce livre. Le but de Faragher est d'analyser les individus qui ont planifié et effectué l'expulsion des Acadiens. Son jugement est sévere; il qualifie le Grand dérangement de nettoyage ethnique. Cependant, on ne lit pas son livre pour son jugement. Les canadiens savent d'avance, l'expulsion a été un très grande crime. On lit livre de Faragher pour pour sa présentation magistrale des tous les petits détails.
May 27, 2008
Yea! I finally finished it! It was really wonderful and now I am wondering why didn't I learn about this in highschool history or even in my college history classes? This was ethnic cleansing at it's worst. I knew that I was Cajun but now I know where my ancestors come from. It is so sad to know that over 10,000 Acadian's lives were lost in their removal from Nova Scotia. The protestants were not tolerant to any other religions. They removed the Catholic Acadians and then 100 years later they kicked out the Mormons from their homes. This book should be part of American History classes at least at the college level.
September 4, 2017
Well written story about the Acadians, their attempts to be neutral during the rivalries of Europe in the New World. It traces their history and culture and the genocidal actions against them by both the British and Colonists of New England.
June 5, 2025
Nonfiction>History
I will be taking a cruise to Canada and read this to find out more about the history of Eastern Canada during America's Revolution. I never knew about the Acadians and really hope I make it to Annapolis Royal one day! I want to see the place from this history.
I listened to the audiobook
I will be taking a cruise to Canada and read this to find out more about the history of Eastern Canada during America's Revolution. I never knew about the Acadians and really hope I make it to Annapolis Royal one day! I want to see the place from this history.
I listened to the audiobook
May 12, 2021
John Mack Faragher's A Great and Noble Scheme sketches one of the great calamities of the 18th Century: the expulsion of French Acadians (and their Native allies) from Nova Scotia in the 1750s. Faragher sketches the Acadians as a vibrant, fiercely independent people whose culture came under threat the moment Great Britain conquered Nova Scotia during Queen Anne's War in the early 1700s. Successions of British governments struggle with the issue: the Acadians are initially granted a good deal of autonomy in exchange for neutrality in any Anglo-French conflict. But the Acadians continue to defy the British in ways small (maintaining their Gallic identity and Catholic faith) and large (trading with the French and Native Americans). It's the latter, Faragher argues, that caused their downfall: the Acadians' alliance with the Mikmaqs, an off-and-on enemy of the British, and resisting (sometimes with force) the introduction of Protestant settlements into Nova Scotia convinced their masters of the need for a drastic solution. Under cover of the French and Indian War, Governor William Shirley of Massachusetts sanctioned a massive ethnic cleansing which resulted in the force expulsion, imprisonment and resettlement of nearly the entire Acadian population. Faragher details the harrowing experience of the Acadians, most of whom relocated either to other Canadian provinces or to Louisiana, where they formed the nucleus of the modern Cajun subculture. And, Faragher adds, the Mikmaqs and other tribes suffered equally from their expulsion; denied a crucial ally, the Natives were swiftly overwhelmed by the English hegemon. A detailed, painstaking account of a largely-forgotten atrocity.
February 9, 2025
John Mack Faragher’s A Great and Noble Scheme is a masterfully researched and deeply moving account of the Acadian Expulsion—one of the most tragic and overlooked episodes in North American history. Faragher blends meticulous scholarship with compelling narrative storytelling, bringing to life the suffering and resilience of the Acadian people as they were forcibly removed from their homeland in the mid-18th century.
What makes this book stand out is how it transforms what could have been a dry historical account into a gripping and emotionally powerful story. The level of research is exceptional, drawing from a wealth of archival sources, but it never feels bogged down by academic detachment. Instead, Faragher’s prose is vivid and humane, making the reader feel the heartbreak of families torn apart and entire communities erased. The sheer injustice of the expulsion—carried out under the guise of imperial necessity—hits hard, and it’s rare for a scholarly history book to evoke such genuine sorrow and outrage.
As someone with Acadian ancestors who lived through le Grand Dérangement, this book struck a particularly deep chord with me. For the first time, I could vividly imagine their suffering, their fear, and the incredible resilience they must have had to survive such a cruel fate. History that once felt distant has now become personal, and Faragher’s writing made me feel the weight of my ancestors’ experiences in a way I never had before.
Faragher also does an excellent job of situating the expulsion within the broader geopolitical struggles of the time, showing how the clash between British and French empires sealed the fate of the Acadians. Yet, he never loses sight of the individual human cost. His portrayal of the Acadians is nuanced and empathetic, challenging the traditional justifications for their forced removal.
It’s not often that a history book brings me to tears, but A Great and Noble Scheme does just that. It reminds us that history is not just about battles and political maneuvering—it’s about people, their suffering, and their endurance. For anyone interested in North American history, colonialism, or the Acadian experience, this is an essential read. It’s both a scholarly triumph and a profoundly moving human story.
What makes this book stand out is how it transforms what could have been a dry historical account into a gripping and emotionally powerful story. The level of research is exceptional, drawing from a wealth of archival sources, but it never feels bogged down by academic detachment. Instead, Faragher’s prose is vivid and humane, making the reader feel the heartbreak of families torn apart and entire communities erased. The sheer injustice of the expulsion—carried out under the guise of imperial necessity—hits hard, and it’s rare for a scholarly history book to evoke such genuine sorrow and outrage.
As someone with Acadian ancestors who lived through le Grand Dérangement, this book struck a particularly deep chord with me. For the first time, I could vividly imagine their suffering, their fear, and the incredible resilience they must have had to survive such a cruel fate. History that once felt distant has now become personal, and Faragher’s writing made me feel the weight of my ancestors’ experiences in a way I never had before.
Faragher also does an excellent job of situating the expulsion within the broader geopolitical struggles of the time, showing how the clash between British and French empires sealed the fate of the Acadians. Yet, he never loses sight of the individual human cost. His portrayal of the Acadians is nuanced and empathetic, challenging the traditional justifications for their forced removal.
It’s not often that a history book brings me to tears, but A Great and Noble Scheme does just that. It reminds us that history is not just about battles and political maneuvering—it’s about people, their suffering, and their endurance. For anyone interested in North American history, colonialism, or the Acadian experience, this is an essential read. It’s both a scholarly triumph and a profoundly moving human story.
October 2, 2013
A detailed and interesting account of an episode in colonial-era North America little known in the US, aside perhaps from the descendants of the Acadians. (This may vary by locale- I would assume that awareness will be higher in Maine and the Canadian maritime provinces, much as awareness of early Dutch and Swedish settlement is higher in New York and New Jersey.) It was indeed tragic how the perception of the British and their colonists, colored by not only national but also sectarian rivalry, made the 'problem' of Acadia a self-fulfilling prophecy with a 'solution' only too familiar to students of twentieth century history. The author points out that the culprits in the expulsion of the Acadians themselves seemed ashamed of their actions if the coverup afterward is anything to go by, with material missing or truncated in archives, or filed in obscure places in the hope no one would go looking for it.
May 9, 2016
Thoroughly researched and meticulously documented, this historical narrative of the first instance of ethnic cleansing on the North American continent chronicles the tale of the French Acadian Diaspora. For two reasons this is not easy, light reading: Firstly, it is painful to re-imagine the suffering and loss of family endured by the so called “French Neutrals” in Nova Scotia. Secondly, this book is written with such painstaking historical detail that it must be read unhurriedly in order to absorb it in its entirety.
This chapter of American history, not widely studied, merits the attention of those who demand to learn more than just the glorious episodes of our past. The author does an admirable job in the retelling this tragic event in America’s narrative
This chapter of American history, not widely studied, merits the attention of those who demand to learn more than just the glorious episodes of our past. The author does an admirable job in the retelling this tragic event in America’s narrative
October 13, 2014
Thankfully Roy J LaPoint produced "At River's End: A Genealogical Study of the Godard dit LaPointe Family". Because, as everyone ages the stories fade along with our knowledge of our culture. It was great to find a book such as Faragher's. The correlations between the two validate the tales my sister, I and our cousins grew up with. If you enjoy history, or have connections to l'Acadie you should read "A Great and Noble Scheme:...". The Acadian names can be cumbersome for those that aren't use to be called by such.The maps and pictures in the book are a great adjunct to the words.
January 17, 2022
Overall very interesting. Writing very engaging although some details border on fiction. Some speculation here and there but doesn’t sway too far from the historical facts. Difficult format of Bibliography was frustrating with a column of last name only, separated from title etc. The Advance Praise cover notes from other authors is embarrassingly PC, exhibiting no understanding of the time period but hey, marketing has sales goals to meet.
Referenced for an entire Chapter of The City-State of Boston by Mark Peterson; Princeton Univ. Press; 2019
Referenced for an entire Chapter of The City-State of Boston by Mark Peterson; Princeton Univ. Press; 2019
January 5, 2016
It is well written and researched. I believe this was a terrible period of our history and travesty of justice to the Acadians. There is in my own mind no way to really justify the injustice done to these people and the real settlers of the Bay of Fundy and PEI.
Good reading and would recommend it to any Canadian historian.
Good reading and would recommend it to any Canadian historian.
March 24, 2015
A fair but passionate telling of a tragic episode in American history. It should be taught in US history classes.
The book is very well documented and looks at the events before and after the "grande derangement" from all sides using the most currently available historic materials.
The book is very well documented and looks at the events before and after the "grande derangement" from all sides using the most currently available historic materials.
May 27, 2014
i'm only a little ways in, but it's very interesting so far. The first Doucet was mentioned on page 42! I guess we came over damn early.
Want to read
July 23, 2009starting this up for a 2nd time. hopefully i make it farther than the first attempt.
July 13, 2009
Intersting connections behind the diaspora. Really good read despit the academic underpinnings
September 5, 2009
A bit "chewy" as a read, but absolutely fascinating and amazing scholarship ... The tragic story of the Acadians removal from Nova Scotia in 1755 will break your heart ...
December 15, 2025
Despite having somewhere between 30% and 45% Acadian ancestry, I had never read in detail about Le Grand Dérangement - I'm not even sure I've ever read Longfellow's Evangeline from start to finish! As I continued my family research, it was time to remedy that. This was a great first book to read.
It's a very readable history from the very beginning of the European settlement of L'Acadie, through the expulsion in the 1750s and with a small denouement covering the aftereffects into the modern era. The book is thoroughly researched and deeply referenced, but is written in clear prose and has good (and pertinent) maps right up front for reference.
Going in, I pictured the Acadian expulsion as an "unpleasant episode" that was simply an unavoidable collateral impact of war. I had no idea of the bloodiness of the affair. Families were split (as remembered by Longfellow) and the first transportation in 1755 from Nova Scotia proper sent small groups piecemeal across the colonies, to basically eliminate the Acadians (who were very distinct from French Canada in general, and two centuries intermingled with the Mi'kmaq) as a unified people. Later rounds sent Acadians to England or back to France. It was only through amazing fortitude that Acadians reconvened in Louisiana, Trois Rivieres (Quebec), back in the maritime provinces, and elsewhere.
None of the above really surprised me, though - I knew or intuited it to some degree. But two things did stand out to me:
(1) The degree of carnage. In July 1755, before expulsions began, there were some 18000 Acadians in L'Acadie. An estimated 10000 of those died as a direct result of the actions of the expulsions - shipwrecks, disease, and violence - more than 50%. The transports were overpacked (the Acadians weren't chained nor chattel, but otherwise their conditions trapped below deck bore a striking resemblance to slave transportation). A majority of those 10000 deaths were, as always, women and children. In modern terms, there is no question that we would label this an attempt at ethnic cleansing.
(2) The degree to which this was an "American" undertaking. The British colonial administration of Nova Scotia, after they gained control in 1714 after the Treaty of Utrecht, was abysmal for most of the intervening four decades. But the real impetus for removal of the Acadians originated largely with other Atlantic colonies, in particular New England and very particularly Massachusetts - whose protestant Puritans combined a religious crusade against Catholic Acadians with an opportunity to seize prime farmland. The "redcoats" who dispossessed the Acadians were, to a great extent, New Englanders. Most of the new landowners who seized their abandoned lands were from areas that one generation later were part of the USA. Indeed, the title of the book comes from an article in the September 1755 Pennsylvania Gazette, highlighting the wonderful undertaking and it's benefit for the other colonies.
Don't get me wrong - I don't believe in transgenerational guilt. History is what it is, and - given how procreation works - no one of us today would be alive if history had not happened exactly as it did, up to the moment we were conceived. But if someone accosts me about some guilt I should bear in some other context, I will henceforth say: "do you know the story of the Acadians?"
If you, like me, are looking for a first (and maybe only) book on this tragic episode, this is a great choice. Unreservedly recommend.
It's a very readable history from the very beginning of the European settlement of L'Acadie, through the expulsion in the 1750s and with a small denouement covering the aftereffects into the modern era. The book is thoroughly researched and deeply referenced, but is written in clear prose and has good (and pertinent) maps right up front for reference.
Going in, I pictured the Acadian expulsion as an "unpleasant episode" that was simply an unavoidable collateral impact of war. I had no idea of the bloodiness of the affair. Families were split (as remembered by Longfellow) and the first transportation in 1755 from Nova Scotia proper sent small groups piecemeal across the colonies, to basically eliminate the Acadians (who were very distinct from French Canada in general, and two centuries intermingled with the Mi'kmaq) as a unified people. Later rounds sent Acadians to England or back to France. It was only through amazing fortitude that Acadians reconvened in Louisiana, Trois Rivieres (Quebec), back in the maritime provinces, and elsewhere.
None of the above really surprised me, though - I knew or intuited it to some degree. But two things did stand out to me:
(1) The degree of carnage. In July 1755, before expulsions began, there were some 18000 Acadians in L'Acadie. An estimated 10000 of those died as a direct result of the actions of the expulsions - shipwrecks, disease, and violence - more than 50%. The transports were overpacked (the Acadians weren't chained nor chattel, but otherwise their conditions trapped below deck bore a striking resemblance to slave transportation). A majority of those 10000 deaths were, as always, women and children. In modern terms, there is no question that we would label this an attempt at ethnic cleansing.
(2) The degree to which this was an "American" undertaking. The British colonial administration of Nova Scotia, after they gained control in 1714 after the Treaty of Utrecht, was abysmal for most of the intervening four decades. But the real impetus for removal of the Acadians originated largely with other Atlantic colonies, in particular New England and very particularly Massachusetts - whose protestant Puritans combined a religious crusade against Catholic Acadians with an opportunity to seize prime farmland. The "redcoats" who dispossessed the Acadians were, to a great extent, New Englanders. Most of the new landowners who seized their abandoned lands were from areas that one generation later were part of the USA. Indeed, the title of the book comes from an article in the September 1755 Pennsylvania Gazette, highlighting the wonderful undertaking and it's benefit for the other colonies.
Don't get me wrong - I don't believe in transgenerational guilt. History is what it is, and - given how procreation works - no one of us today would be alive if history had not happened exactly as it did, up to the moment we were conceived. But if someone accosts me about some guilt I should bear in some other context, I will henceforth say: "do you know the story of the Acadians?"
If you, like me, are looking for a first (and maybe only) book on this tragic episode, this is a great choice. Unreservedly recommend.
November 24, 2023
I knew nothing about the Acadians, let alone their expulsion. The parallels between the British and American ethnic cleansing of these people and all later genocides throughout the 19th and 20th centuries are startling. One can easily see the patterns repeat throughout history.
Stephen Harper, a completely ignorant buffoon, stated that Canada has no history of colonialism. As if our treatment of first nations people wasn't enough, this treatment of the Acadians is no better and demonstrates in abundance, the exact qualities required to be considered colonialism. It's hard to know the truth about this country and how shameful it is.
What I find most ironic is that the Acadians started as pacifist, French, Catholic people and yet, once they became full citizens and Catholicism was granted fully recognized status in Canada, it was the Roman Catholic church that turned around and committed the very same crimes they had suffered as second class citizens against the first nations peoples in the residential school systems. Humans suck and this book demonstrates that very well.
This book also shows how resilient these communities of people were and how they have long outlasted the bigotry and hatred that caused them to suffer and die by the thousands. It was well written and well worth the read.
Stephen Harper, a completely ignorant buffoon, stated that Canada has no history of colonialism. As if our treatment of first nations people wasn't enough, this treatment of the Acadians is no better and demonstrates in abundance, the exact qualities required to be considered colonialism. It's hard to know the truth about this country and how shameful it is.
What I find most ironic is that the Acadians started as pacifist, French, Catholic people and yet, once they became full citizens and Catholicism was granted fully recognized status in Canada, it was the Roman Catholic church that turned around and committed the very same crimes they had suffered as second class citizens against the first nations peoples in the residential school systems. Humans suck and this book demonstrates that very well.
This book also shows how resilient these communities of people were and how they have long outlasted the bigotry and hatred that caused them to suffer and die by the thousands. It was well written and well worth the read.
July 7, 2020
One of the most tragic stories in American history. “The removal of the Acadians was the first episode of state-sponsored ethnic cleansing in North American history.” “Le Grand Derangement” was ethnic cleansing and a crime against humanity. It’s history is also an inspiring story. It’s a story of the endurance of the diaspora. Despite all the horror, “gloom and wretchedness”, the story of the familial bonds of the diaspora and “it’s pathos all illuminated with beauty. Read this book. Feel for the families and communities as they fall victim to the wanton destruction of their familial and communal bonds. read the rich history and be wiser for it. It’s important. And this book is a page-turning explanation of the major highlights of Acadian history from 1604 to the present. Don’t miss out. Read it.
June 25, 2023
Sobering history, meticulously documented, of North America. And nothing any of us should be proud of : Indigenous people simply trying to survive, Acadien neutrality ( mostly), and the fervent ambition of British military hoping to impress the boys back in England. These factors all contributed to the expulsion where Acadiens were stripped of what they considered their land and most heartbreaking, their families.
England and France were too occupied back in Europe quelling internal revolutions and fighting each other to become too vigilant about the plight of families across the pond. And, I’m not sure that they cared either.
It’s not an easy read but it’s incredibly researched and stark in assessments of how the individual characters in roles of leadership, were pivotal in decimating the North American French and taking over their lands. Think Hitler, Putin, Trump— and how egos as leaders dictate policies that continue to resonate decades later.
England and France were too occupied back in Europe quelling internal revolutions and fighting each other to become too vigilant about the plight of families across the pond. And, I’m not sure that they cared either.
It’s not an easy read but it’s incredibly researched and stark in assessments of how the individual characters in roles of leadership, were pivotal in decimating the North American French and taking over their lands. Think Hitler, Putin, Trump— and how egos as leaders dictate policies that continue to resonate decades later.
September 6, 2022
I really enjoyed how the author describes not just the events, but how the policies which caused the events developed. It is a great insight into how policy comes about. You really get the sense that policy-makers in the New World were given power and resources by their Old World bosses, as well as not very much oversight. The result is that shockingly few individuals were able to cause a lot of misery, an early example of "ethnic cleansing" before the term was ever invented.
It really makes you remember how complicated the world is. We like to give credit or blame to countries/organizations/etc as a whole, forgetting that these consist of many individuals who may vary in their beliefs and temperament, as well as in their political sway.
It really makes you remember how complicated the world is. We like to give credit or blame to countries/organizations/etc as a whole, forgetting that these consist of many individuals who may vary in their beliefs and temperament, as well as in their political sway.
February 5, 2019
For those of us whose ancestors came from France via Novia Scotia in the 1700s, this is a must read. It tells the story of the Acadians, how they came to the new land, settled, lived then lost their new homes when they were deported by the British. What happened to the Acadians amounted to ethnic cleansing. I'm grateful to have learned the story of my people's diaspora.
I was also able to identify a number of my ancestors in this book. It's fascinating to recognize a name from my family tree and hear about how that person lived.
I was also able to identify a number of my ancestors in this book. It's fascinating to recognize a name from my family tree and hear about how that person lived.
December 10, 2019
Finished A Great and Noble Scheme: The Tragic Story of the Expulsion of the French Acadians from Their American Homeland by John Mack Faragher. I read this book for a greater understanding of the Great Expulsion of the Acadians from Canada for genealogy purposes. My Mother’s paternal ancestors were among those impacted, a well documented case of ethnic cleansing at the start of the Sevens Years War as described by Europeans and The French and Indian War by Northern American colonists. Well written and documented work!
March 11, 2025
Faragher describes in exceptional detail, a painstakingly unjust period of history, that we as Europeans scarcely consider.
Faragher's book is most likely aimed at an American audience, but it makes for an interesting if not heart-wrenching read for anyone interested.
The book is easy to navigate, and is the first proper history book I have read since leaving school.
It is a great tool with which to evaluate how much history echoes through time.
I thoroughly recommend this book to all those who are considering reading it.
Faragher's book is most likely aimed at an American audience, but it makes for an interesting if not heart-wrenching read for anyone interested.
The book is easy to navigate, and is the first proper history book I have read since leaving school.
It is a great tool with which to evaluate how much history echoes through time.
I thoroughly recommend this book to all those who are considering reading it.
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