First use of concentration camps

[Arthur]

Acadia - Acadie (Ah-kah-dee), see Acadian. French colonial territory consisting of modern Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Maine, Prince Edward Island and the near surrounding islands. It was claimed by France in 1524. Settlement began ca. 1604 and its destruction by the British began in 1755 and was completed in 1758. The Nova Scotia portion, except Ile Royale, was conquered by the British in 1711 (Queen Anne's War). The Acadians in Nova Scotia pledged allegiance to the Queen, with the condition that they would never be required to fight against the French or Indians, The Nova Scotian Acadians became known as the French Neutrals. The British violated the treaty and humanity, in 1755. They imprisoned the Acadians into scattered concentration camps and burned their homes, churches and public buildings. Virginia was the only British colony that refused to host a concentration camp to imprison Acadians.

Two leading candidates for the origin of the name:

Legend says that Giovanni Verazzano, exploring for France in 1524, saw the land, claimed it for France and called it Arcadia, after the mythical Greek utopia.

Another legend says that Basque fishing fleets had been catching cod fish and drying them in Acadia since the 1300s. They called the land "La Cad-ie." Cad was the Algonquin Micmaque Indian word for cod fish. The "ie" suffix in French implies "land of", hence, l'Acadie (la-cad-ie), "the land of the cod fish." I prefer the latter

NB: Those Basque fishermen of legend did not settle in Acadia. Basque country was roughly the old Kingdom of Navarre, on the Bay of Biscay that straddled the present day western French-Spanish border, Biscay = Vizcaya in Spanish.

Acadian – The 1600s through 1758, primarily French, settlers of Acadie/Acadia. Between 1755 and 1758, a vast majority of Acadians were thrown into scattered British concentration camps or deported to France in leaky cattle boats (at least 1 sank), after the concentration camps were full, At their release from the concentration camps, circa 1763, fewer than half were still alive.

[Arthur]

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