Subscribe | UPI Odd Newsletter Subscribe SOUTH FREEPORT, Maine, June 4 (UPI) -- Change is under way in Maine to eliminate the negative stigma of French-Americans that has existed since the early 1900s. French descendants began to arrive in Maine in the 1870s and quickly resistance began to build against them. French-Americans were labeled as rednecks or inadequate patriots, and a law was enacted mandating English as the only language in schools, The New York Times reported. Advertisement Recent changes are allowing French-Americans to learn about and embrace their roots, the newspaper said. Four years ago, a French-American Day was introduced and Maine's first French-American congressman, Democrat Michael H. Michaud, was elected. French-immersion programs such as L'École Française du Maine were created to help French-American descendants learn about their heritage. "I'm doing it because I want (my son) to learn more about our heritage and background," Bob Michaud, a father of a student in the program, told the Times.
