The Franco-Americans of New England: Dreams and Realities

Between 1840 and 1930, approximately 900,000 people left Quebec for the United States, with the number of French-Canadian colonies in New England's industrial cities growing rapidly. The first generation of immigrants, who considered themselves French Canadians living in the United States, lived outside of American society as much as possible and sought to recreate their lost motherland. Their children's situation was different, however, since they did not see themselves as a community creating a distinct society on American soil. Although they were proud of their heritage and wished to maintain the fundamental aspects of their culture - language, religion, and customs - they became Americans. A sort of conversion took place, in which they renounced their loyalty to another government and their original identity. They took up the title of Franco-Americans. What became of these millions of immigrant descendants? In The Franco-Americans of New England Yves Roby describes the first-person accounts of French Canadians' immigration to New England, as well as those of their descendants, and the Franco-Americans, Roby seeks to explain the genesis and evolution of this group and raises insightful questions regarding not only the Franco-Americans but also the integration of ethnocultural groups into Canadian society and the future of North American Francophonies.