Keywords: Oaths of allegiance
Item 7476
Instruction from Henry Clinton to British troops, 1779
Contributed by: Maine Historical Society Date: 1779-04-15 Location: Thomaston Media: Ink on paper
Item 104219
Hardy's proclamation to the citizens of Moose Island, Eastport, 2014
Courtesy of Ruth McInnis, an individual partner Date: 1814 Location: Eastport Media: Ink on paper
Exhibit
The British capture and occupation of Eastport 1814-1818
The War of 1812 ended in December 1814, but Eastport continued to be under British control for another four years. Eastport was the last American territory occupied by the British from the War of 1812 to be returned to the United States. Except for the brief capture of two Aleutian Islands in Alaska by the Japanese in World War II, it was the last time since 2018 that United States soil was occupied by a foreign government.
Exhibit
The history of the region now known as Maine did not begin at statehood in 1820. What was Maine before it was a state? How did Maine separate from Massachusetts? How has the Maine we experience today been shaped by thousands of years of history?
Site Page
Mount Desert Island: Shaped by Nature - More Permanent Settlers Arrive
"… of Lincoln and the state of Massachusetts on February 16, 1789. Thirty men signed the oath of allegiance. Early Years on Mt. Desert Island"
Lesson Plan
Longfellow Studies: The Exile of the People of Longfellow's "Evangeline"
Grade Level: 6-8
Content Area: Social Studies
Other materials needed:
- Copy of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's "Evangeline"
- Print media and Internet access for research
- Deportation Orders (may use primary document with a secondary source interpretation)
Throughout the course of history there have been many events in which great suffering was inflicted upon innocent people. The story of the Acadian expulsion is one such event. Britain and France, the two most powerful nations of Europe, were at war off and on throughout the 18th century. North America became a coveted prize for both warring nations. The French Acadians of present day Nova Scotia fell victim to great suffering. Even under an oath of allegiance to England, the Acadians were advised that their families were to be deported and their lands confiscated by the English. This event was immortalized by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's epic poem "Evangeline", which was published in 1847.
