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The irony of Sam Titus’ recent study of French-speaking people in Vermont and New England was not lost on him.

Titus, a 2009 graduate of Norwich University, grew up in the Harlem district of New York City and has no French ancestors. He has, however, been enriched by a strong fluency in the language, learned since childhood. While immersing himself in the local French culture, Titus said he met people who trace their ancestry to France and French-speaking Quebec, but have no command of the language. Even sadder, they seem to have little knowledge of the history of French-speaking people in the United States.

“There is a French heritage in Vermont,” said Titus, a criminal justice major who studied the subject for two semesters as an independent study. “It’s there, but it’s unknown for certain reasons—such as prejudice.”

French-speaking people have long drawn unwanted attention and abuse for their heritage in this country, he said. While neighborhoods of Franco-Americans, with their own businesses, newspapers and customs, settled around factories and industries during the manufacturing revolution, that wasn’t strong enough to preserve the culture. Not even the language survived.

“What targeted them were their accents,” said Titus, who is 27. “Over generations the language wasn’t passed down.”

He believes prejudice can be traced to before the French and Indian War, when English settlers in the New World grew angry at French settlers due to their tendency to trade and ally themselves with Native Americans. Persecution continued into the 20th century, when Franco-Americans were targeted by the Ku Klux Klan.

One of the major parts of his project was to study, in the original, discovery-era French, the diaries of Samuel de Champlain, the explorer who first mapped the Great Lakes in the early 17th century and is considered the founder of New France.

While slow at first, with endless descriptions and sketches of scenery and flora, the diaries grew dramatic when Champlain found himself involved in a 1609 battle between his Algonquin allies and the Iroquois at what is now Crown Point.

“It got really graphic when the war actually occurred, and in the aftermath,” he said. “It was very intense.”

Under the mentorship of Prof. Frances Chevalier, Titus analyzed books and scholarly articles from Champlain to the present, all of which led him to conclude that the history of French-speaking people in the Northeast is well documented. But there is very little material about their influence or the ways that culture has been carried on, Titus said. He believes it’s an unfortunate conclusion, and hopes his analysis will be used to inspire future students of French at Norwich.

“I got to see and read things that made me grateful for knowing French,” he said.

Chevalier, a member of the Vermont Lake Champlain Quadricentennial Commission where she promotes French-American history and culture of Vermont for the 400th-anniversary celebration of Champlain’s exploration, said Titus’ report, written in modern French, will be part of a new course called “L’Amerique Francaise.”

“After some revision, I will have students ... use his report when they read another version of that same voyage by Champlain, to see how the modern author’s version compares to the facts of the original,” she said. “Sam’s compositions on the early history of New France will be used as a guide and vocabulary resource.”

A member of the Corps of Cadets, Titus came to Norwich, the country’s oldest private military college, after attending a military high school in New York. Earlier, following his mother’s lead, he attended a French immersion school called the Lycee Francais de New York. He continues to work at improving his skills, and speaks passionately about the beauty of the language.

“It’s just enriching to know the French language ... just to see the differences,” said Titus. “It’s almost like there are more ways to express yourself in French.”

Titus will begin a job that utilizes both his language skills and understanding of the intricacies of culture. In September 2009, he begins a job as interpreter for the Transcultural Awareness Institute, a nonprofit organization dedicated to changing the perception of African people. It is located in Barre, Vt., not far from Norwich’s Northfield campus, and Titus said he’s very excited and believes the position will allow him to travel to Africa and meet foreign officials and dignitaries.

“It’s going to be a huge learning experience for me,” he said. “I’m going to learn a ton of French.”