Many factors have contributed to what is called the "Acadian Identity". Amongst these are:
a common experience shared by the first settlers; an independent spirit principally the result
of having been left to themselves by their mother country; a common language and religion that were shared
with only a small number of those other settlers who were also discovering the "New World". However,
amongst all these factors, none has had as much impact as the forcible expulsion of the Acadians during
the years 1755 to 1763. All Acadians, no matter where they live today, see the "great upheaval", or the deportation as
the ultimate factor of their common identity. The following pages are a graphic and textual elaboration
of this identity and show how it has more than simply maintained itself throughout nearly four centuries.
The following links will further your knowledge of the Acadians' identity.
