...And make a movie about the Republic of Madawaska
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Republic of Madawaska
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1827�"1842 �'


Location of Republic of Madawaska
Municipalities of Madawaska County
Capital Fort Kent, Maine
Language(s) English, French
Government Republic
Leader John Baker
History
- Independence declared August 10, 1827
- Webster-Ashburton Treaty saw the republic divided between New Brunswick and
Maine August 9, 1842

The Republic of Madawaska (French: République du Madawaska) was a small,
unrecognized state in the northwest corner of Madawaska County, New Brunswick
(also known as the "New Brunswick Panhandle") and adjacent areas of Aroostook
County in the American state of Maine and of Quebec. The word "Madawaska" comes
from the Mi'kmaq words madawas (porcupine) and kak (place). Thus, the Madawaska
is "the country of the porcupine".[1] The Madawaska River which flows into the
Saint John River at Edmundston, New Brunswick and Madawaska, Maine flows through
the region.

The origins of the unorganized republic lie in the Treaty of Paris (1783), which
established the border between the United States and the British North American
colonies. The Madawaska region remained in dispute between Britain and the
United States until 1842.

In 1817, an American settler, John Baker, arrived in the region. Baker
petitioned the state of Maine for inclusion in the state in 1825. On 4 July
1827, Baker and his wife, Sophie Rice, raised an "American" flag sewn by Sophie,
on the west of the junction of the Meruimticook (now Baker Brook, after him) and
Saint John Rivers. This area is now Fort Kent, Maine. Curiously, the flag
reportedly designed by Sophie was identical to the current "Flag of the
Republic".[2]

On August 10 of that year, Baker and others announced their intention to declare
the Republic of Madawaska. On that day, the British magistrate confiscated
Baker's "American" flag. Baker was arrested by the British on September 25 for
conspiracy and sedition. Ultimately, Baker was fined £25 and jailed for two
months, or until the fine was paid.[2]

This set off a diplomatic incident, which led to arbitration by the King of the
Netherlands. His decision in 1831 was rejected by Maine. After the undeclared
Aroostook War (1838�"39), the United States and the United Kingdom signed the
Webster�"Ashburton Treaty on August 9, 1842, finally settling the boundary
question.

According to a pamphlet entitled "The Republic of Madawaska" and published at
Edmundston, "The myth of the 'Republic of Madawaska' (because it is not a true
Republic in a political sense) draws its origins from an answer given to a
French official on a tour of inspection during the troubled times by an old
Madawaska colonist. Thinking the official a little too inquisitive, he said 'I
am a citizen of the Republic of Madawaska' with all the force of an old Roman
saying 'I am a citizen of Rome,' and the pride of a Londoner declaring 'I am a
British subject.' "

The Republic of Madawaska now exists only in the hearts of the inhabitants of
this legendary republic, who proudly refer to themselves as brayons. A flag of
the republic was created in 1938, bearing an American eagle and an arc of six
red stars on a white field. This flag flies at the city hall of Edmundston, New
Brunswick, and at Madawaska festivals. The sitting mayor of Edmundston, the
largest municipality in the region, also assumes the honorary title of
"President of the Republic of Madawaska".

Popular Canadian author Will Ferguson includes a chapter on "The Republic of
Madawaska" in Beauty Tips from Moose Jaw: Travels in Search of Canada, his
award-winning anthology of poignant trans-Canadian vignettes.