Acadian Expulsion Forged Louisiana's Cajun Identity

The Acadian Expulsion, known as Le Grand Dérangement, commenced in 1755 when British officials removed French inhabitants from Acadia due to their refusal to pledge loyalty to the British Crown. By the time the Treaty of Paris was signed in 1763, 11,500 out of 14,100 Acadians had been deported, with some sent to the Thirteen Colonies and others to France. In 1764, a group of 21 Acadian refugees settled in St James Parish, Louisiana. The most significant influx occurred in 1785 when King Charles III of Spain relocated 1,600 Acadians to Louisiana. By 1788, the Acadian population reached 3,000, later referred to as Cajuns. Although Cajun culture faced challenges, it experienced a revival in the 1960s. In 1980, the U.S. Supreme Court acknowledged Cajuns as a protected minority. The Acadian World Congress was established in 1994.