[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 102 (Monday, July 25, 2005)]
[House]
[Pages H6392-H6393]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              A DAY OF COMMEMORATION OF THE GREAT UPHEAVAL

  Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the 
resolution (H. Res. 294) supporting the goals of ``A Day of 
Commemoration of the Great Upheaval'', and for other purposes.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                              H. Res. 294

       Whereas on March 3, 1699, France established the French 
     colony of Louisiana, and this event was commemorated in 1999 
     as FrancoFete 99 and the Congres Mondial Acadien-Louisiane 
     1999;
       Whereas on December 9, 2003, a royal proclamation was 
     signed in Canada in which Queen Elizabeth II acknowledged for 
     the first time the wrongs committed in the name of the 
     English Crown during the Acadian deportation of 1755;
       Whereas this royal proclamation sets July 28th of every 
     year, beginning in 2005, as ``A Day of Commemoration of the 
     Great Upheaval'';
       Whereas the 10,000 men, women, and children exiled from 
     Nova Scotia two and a half centuries ago are the ancestors of 
     many of south Louisiana's French-Acadian or Cajun people;
       Whereas in 1803, President Thomas Jefferson purchased the 
     Louisiana territory from France, and the French Napoleonic 
     Civil Code was adopted as the basis of Louisiana's civil law 
     system which continues to the present;
       Whereas in 1968, the Louisiana Legislature created the 
     Council for the Development of French in Louisiana (CODOFIL) 
     and mandated that the agency promote French for economic, 
     educational, and touristic purposes;
       Whereas since its creation, CODOFIL has recruited teachers 
     from the international community to come to Louisiana to 
     teach French in Louisiana schools;
       Whereas there are 30 French immersion schools in Louisiana, 
     and Louisiana leads the Nation in bilingual education;
       Whereas Louisiana is officially bilingual pursuant to 
     section 51 of title 1, Louisiana Revised Statutes, which 
     states ``Any act or contract made or executed in the French 
     language is as legal and binding upon the parties as if it 
     had been made or executed in the English language'';
       Whereas in 2004, the Louisiana Legislature declared Acadian 
     Heritage Week to be the third week in September and urged 
     schools in Louisiana to teach children about their Acadian 
     history, culture, and heritage; and
       Whereas in 2005, the world will memorialize the 250th 
     anniversary of the Acadian deportation and observe a day of 
     remembrance of the suffering of the Acadian people as a 
     result of their deportation by the British Crown (as 
     memorialized in Queen Elizabeth II's Royal Proclamation dated 
     December 9, 2003): Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved,  That the House of Representatives--
       (1) supports the goals of Acadian Heritage Week; and
       (2) supports the goals of ``A Day of Commemoration of the 
     Great Upheaval'', as established by Queen Elizabeth II's 
     Royal Proclamation, signed on December 9, 2003, in which the 
     sufferings of the Acadian people were acknowledged.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Issa) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California (Mr. Issa).
  Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of House Resolution 294, which was 
introduced by the distinguished gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. 
Boustany).
  This legislation tells the story of the Great Upheaval, which is an 
event that, while perhaps little known to many Americans, helped shape 
the culture and history of the State of Louisiana.
  The Great Upheaval refers to the expulsion of the Acadian population 
of Nova Scotia by the British in the mid-18th century, which is the 
origins of these original French settlers of the land that is now the 
eastern Canadian province of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince 
Edward Island.
  The Treaty of Utrecht, signed by the British and French at the 
conclusion of the War of the Spanish Succession in 1713, ended a series 
of land trades between the world's powers by finally awarding to the 
British the region inhabited by the Acadians.
  Consequently, by 1730, all Acadians were compelled to swear an oath 
that gave their allegiance to the British, but the oath further forced 
them to agree to bear arms against the French or Indians.
  However, in 1794 when the French and Indian War broke out, the 
majority of Acadians refused and disregarded this commitment to fight 
the French. Consequently, the British deported these Acadians, more 
than 10,000 strong, who would not commit their loyalty to the British 
Crown.
  The King of France encouraged the displaced French citizens to 
ultimately settle in Louisiana. These thousands of Acadians exiled from 
Nova Scotia 2\1/2\ centuries ago are the ancestors of many of today's 
French Acadian, or Cajun, citizens in Louisiana.
  Largely due to the Great Upheaval, French influence is still very 
strong in south Louisiana. The third week of September is officially 
Acadian Heritage Week in Louisiana. In addition, in December 2003, 
Queen Elizabeth signed a royal proclamation that acknowledged the 
mistreatment of the Acadians and designated July 28 of every year a day 
to commemorate the Great Upheaval.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
might consume.
  Mr. Speaker, the Great Upheaval, also known as the Great Expulsion, 
was the eviction of the Acadian population from Nova Scotia between 
1755 and 1763.
  In 1755, colonial authorities began a process of uprooting and 
deporting 10,000 men, women, and children who had settled on British 
land. British Lieutenant Governor Charles Lawrence and Massachusetts 
Governor William Shirley began by seizing colonists' firearms to 
prevent them from using force to resist.

[[Page H6393]]

  Then they took a large number of men hostage in order to guarantee 
the docility of their families at the at the time of deportation. 
Approximately three-quarters of the total Acadian population was 
deported. Some were sent to England, others to France, and still others 
to the area that was to become Louisiana.
  During the campaign against the Acadians, property was plundered, 
communities were torched, lands were seized, and thousands of Acadian 
lives were claimed.

                              {time}  1445

  Over several generations after the Great Upheaval, the presence of 
Acadians in Louisiana grew, and their descendants helped to form the 
nucleus of Louisiana's Cajun life and culture.
  On December 9, 2003, Queen Elizabeth II issued a proclamation that 
acknowledged the suffering experienced by the Acadian people during the 
Great Upheaval and designated July 28 as ``A Day of Commemoration of 
the Great Upheaval.''
  H. Res. 294 supports the goals of the proclamation. It also points 
out how our country has grown and developed and how many of the 
prejudices that at one time people held have begun, in a serious way, 
to have diminished. Anybody who has ever visited Louisiana or knows 
anything about Louisiana knows that the Acadian population is an 
integral part of the life, the culture, and of the development in the 
State of Louisiana. So I am proud to support this resolution. I urge 
its passage.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Boustany), the author of the bill.
  Mr. BOUSTANY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California (Mr. 
Issa) for yielding me time, and I thank the gentleman from Illinois 
(Mr. Davis) for his eloquent comments today.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 294, supporting the 
goals of ``A Day of Commemoration of the Great Upheaval.'' This 
resolution recognizes the importance of the Acadian people to Louisiana 
and is intended to celebrate their contributions to my State of 
Louisiana and this country.
  During the Acadian deportation of 1755, approximately 14,000 men, 
women and children were expelled from Nova Scotia. Some returned to 
France, but most wound up scattered throughout the American colonies. 
Many sailed through to the French colony of Louisiana, where, over the 
centuries, they have established their own unique French-Acadian or 
Cajun culture. It is now estimated that there are over 450,000 Acadian 
descendants in Louisiana alone.
  Cajun means many things to many people. While not all Cajuns have 
Acadian ancestry, a shared heritage, the legacy of the expulsion, and 
the maintenance of a language and culture distinct from other Americans 
define the Cajuns as a distinct ethnic group.
  Cajun French is a unique dialect of the French language. It is still 
spoken throughout the Acadiana region of Louisiana, although the number 
of people who speak Cajun has declined dramatically over the past 50 
years. For many years it was considered a distortion of the French 
language; however, recently it was discovered that a number of Cajuns 
served as French interpreters for American forces in France during 
World War II, and their importance has been recognized.
  It is difficult to summarize Cajun cuisine and music. I guess you 
could say we like them both hot and spicy. Gumbo, jambalaya, and 
etouffee can be found in restaurants throughout the country. Cajun 
music and its cousin zydeco influenced country music and early rock and 
roll. Their mark on American music can still be heard on popular radio 
today.
  Cajuns have had an impact on virtually every aspect of American life. 
Just some examples I will give you, national recording artist Wayne 
Toups, who has traveled internationally; Super Bowl quarterback of the 
NFL's Carolina Panthers, Jake Delhomme; painter and creator of the 
world-famous ``Blue Dog,'' George Rodrigue; Grammy Award-winning artist 
Michael Doucet of the band Beausoleil; the 13th Commandant of the 
United States Marine Corps John Archer LeJeune; Cy Young Award winner 
and New York Yankee Ron Guidry; and last but not least, 12-term 
Congressman and former chairman of the Committee on Energy and 
Commerce, our colleague Billy Tauzin. We all remember Billy. He was 
famous for his keen wit, but also his great jokes, his great Boudreau 
and Thibodeau jokes.
  So from music to sports, from the military to the United States 
Congress, Cajuns have left their mark on American culture.
  In an effort to preserve the Cajun language and culture, the 
Louisiana State Legislature created the Council for the Development of 
French in Louisiana, or CODOFIL, in 1968. This organization is 
committed to the development, utilization and preservation of the 
French language as found in Louisiana for the cultural benefit of the 
State. It is to this end that Mr. Warren Perrin, a constituent of mine, 
has committed years of toil and time to make this day of commemoration 
a reality. The people of Acadiana and all of Louisiana are grateful to 
Mr. Perrin for his efforts to preserve and expand the Cajun heritage in 
Louisiana.
  On December 9, 2003, Queen Elizabeth II set July 28 by royal 
proclamation as a Day of Commemoration of the Great Upheaval to 
recognize the struggles of these Cajuns who left Nova Scotia. In 2004, 
the Louisiana Legislature declared Acadian Heritage Week to be the 
third week in September and urged schools to teach children about their 
Acadian heritage, history and culture. And the story of the Acadian 
people should be commemorated and celebrated because of their impact 
upon American history and society.
  This resolution would serve that end by supporting the goals of 
Acadian Heritage Week and ``A Day of Commemoration of the Great 
Upheaval.'' I urge colleagues on both sides of the aisle to pass this 
resolution.
  Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Kolbe). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from California (Mr. Issa) that the House 
suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 294.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the resolution was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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