Acadian neutrality

During the hostilities between France and Great Britain that punctuated the 18th century, the Acadians believed that they had achieved recognition from both sides, at no very great cost, for their policy of neutrality. This was not a passive position but a positive strategy for a people living along the borderland between the two powers. It is ironic that the conclusion of the war between France and Great Britain in 1748 was actually the end of peace for those described as “the Neutrals.” The treaty signed that year marked the beginning of a new interest in Acadian lands on the part of both powers. Since then, the policy of neutrality that had been followed by Acadians with such success became a major contributor to the tragedy of deportation, orchestrated by the British authorities between 1755 and 1762, during which about 10,000 Acadians were exiled.