dc.description.abstract | This paper examines the influence of colonial policy and intercultural relations on the development of Acadian settlement in Louisiana between 1765 and 1785, spanning a portion of both French and Spanish colonial periods. Research has included an array of secondary sources, books, articles and maps, as well as a variety of primary sources, including published collections and archival material. Analysis of sources reveals two stages of Acadian settlement: the determination of physical location of settlements, and the characteristics, such as economic, demographic, and social, pertaining to the settlements. Political and social forces within colonial Louisiana affected the two stages of Acadian settlement differently. Colonial settlement and defense policies and Acadian culture influenced the location of settlements most strongly, while Acadian relations with other groups in Louisiana shaped the characteristics that the settlements developed during the 1770s. Acadian settlement indicates the imperial policies of France and Spain and the effect of these policies on the colonial population of Louisiana. | en |