In the early 1600s, French explorers like Samuel de Champlain mapped Maine’s coast, and traders from New France (Québec and Acadia) moved through the region. Before the British took control, parts of Maine were part of the French colony of Acadia, which included modern Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and parts of Maine. When the British expelled Acadians from Nova Scotia during the period known as The Great Upheaval (1755-1764), many fled to what is now northern Maine, especially the Saint John River Valley. These Acadians brought a distinct French dialect and Catholic traditions.

In the mid- to late-1800s, economic hardship and farmland shortages in Québec drove thousands to seek work in New England’s textile mills, lumber camps, and paper mills. Cities like Lewiston, Auburn, Biddeford, Saco, Waterville, and Rumford became French-speaking enclaves, with entire neighborhoods (often called “Little Canadas”). Parishes, schools, newspapers, and social clubs operated in French. Parochial schools in particular ensured French language instruction for generations.

In the early 20th century, Maine (like much of the U.S.) had strong “Americanization” campaigns, and for 50 years it was illegal to teach French in school. A law was passed in April 1919 called “An Act to Provide That the English Language Shall Be the Basis of Instruction in the Public Schools of the State of Maine” that prohibited any teaching or speaking of the French language in any school across the state of Maine. Students who were caught conversing in French in school could be penalized in a variety of ways, included detention, suspension, or public humiliation. If an educator was found to be speaking or teaching French against the law, they could face much more severe penalties including fines, suspension, or termination of their job. Despite this, French was still widely spoken at home and in community events through the 1940s–1950s. The law was officially repealed in 1969, a full 50 years later, but the damage had already been done. By the 1960s–1970s, younger Franco-Americans often spoke English as their first language. Urban renewal projects sometimes dismantled French neighborhoods.

French in Maine Today

In the late 20th century, organizations and scholars began documenting Maine’s Franco-American heritage. Festivals, music, and oral history projects helped preserve the language’s legacy. In the Saint John Valley (Fort Kent, Madawaska, Van Buren), French is still widely spoken—often a mix of Acadian and Québecois dialects. French immersion programs, university courses, and cultural organizations (like AFDUME, the Franco Center in Lewiston, the Franco-American Collection at USM in Lewiston, and the Acadian Archives at the University of Maine in Fort Kent) promote language appreciation and learning. Franco-Americans are now embracing their heritage openly, with a growing movement to teach younger generations.

More recently, Africans from French-speaking countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi and Rwanda, have settled in Maine, alongside people from Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Djibouti, Ivory Coast and Togo, countries where French is a national language. These African immigrants have been integral contributors to French-speaking renaissance in Maine. Most have travelled to Maine with young families and they wish for their children to continue speaking and reading French, and for themselves to preserve their language skills. When they moved to the U.S., many were concerned they and other Africans might lose French. These hundreds of Francophone Africans did not know that they would settle in a state with almost two centuries of French heritage!

Given this rich history of the French language in the Pine Tree State, Maine’s French isn’t just one variety—it’s a tapestry of:

• Acadian French (Saint John Valley)
• Québécois French (mill town migrants)
• Brayon (from New Brunswick, blending Acadian and Québecois features)
• Standard/Parisian French (taught in schools and by cultural organizations)
• French from African countries (DRC, Burundi, Rwanda, Cameroon, etc)

French is now the second most spoken language in the state, spoken at home by almost 3% of the population, and by thousands more in cultural settings such as those organized by AFDUME. Vive le français dans le Maine!