Pause–Déjeuner: The Reception of French Canadians in New England

Between 1840 and 1930, a million French-Canadians crossed into New England seeking work, often in the region’s burgeoning textile factories. Today their descendants number some two million New Englanders, yet this historic community remains among the region’s least known.

For our next Pause-Déjeuner, author David Vermette, a leading scholar of Franco-American immigration, will explore this phenomenon—as well as a mostly forgotten part of their story: the opposition and conspiracy-mongering they faced, as Catholics and Francophones.  Vermette’s research on ethnic hostility has surprising resonance for today.

David Vermette is the author of A Distinct Alien Race: The Untold Story of Franco-Americans (Montreal: Baraka Books, 2018). He is a researcher, writer, editor and blogger. His work has appeared online in Smithsonian and Time. Vermette has spoken at universities, colleges, and genealogical and historical societies. He was born and raised in Massachusetts.