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1 Chapter 1 : History of Louisiana - Wikipedia Louisiana (French: La Louisiane; La Louisiane franã aise) or French Louisiana was an administrative district of New blog.quintoapp.com French control to and (nominally) to, the area was named in honor of King Louis XIV, by French explorer Renà -Robert Cavelier, Sieur de la Salle. Blog Louisiana The state with the greatest French influence is Louisiana, although the first European explorers were Spanish. De Soto came to Louisiana looking for gold in, but after his death in, the Spanish made no further efforts there. He claimed the entire Missisippi Valley for France. Louisiana became a royal colony in The first capital was actually in Mississippi, later in Alabama near present-day Mobile. In, Louisiana became a proprietary colony. The first permanent settlement in present-day Louisiana was Natchitoches in Work on a new capital at New Orleans began in, to which the seat of government was transferred in France secretly turned over control to the Spanish in, and when the French settlers found out in, they rebelled and drove the Spanish out. Spain regained control in Spain kept it until after, when most of it reverted to France, and was then sold to the United States as part of the Louisiana Purchase. Some of it was retained by Spain and incorporated into West Florida, but after a revolt by American settlers in, United States troops entered and established control. In, Louisiana entered the Union as the 18th state. During the War of, the British tried to take control of New Orleans. In the Battle of New Orleans, General Andrew Jackson defeated the British; although unknown to either side, the war had been ended two weeks earlier. As Southern states began to secede in January, the New Orleans Daily Crescent offered an explanation why this would benefit the South: There must be a reason for this [the refusal of the North to allow the South to peacefully secede], as there is for everything else, and the reason is plain enough. All that they say about the South is false, and, what is more, they know it to be false. They know that the South is the main prop and support of the federal system. New Orleans was taken by Union forces in without a fight. Throughout the remainder of the war, Union forces gradually extended their control. Louisiana was readmitted to the Union in, but Reconstruction was not ended until During the s and early s, Huey Long built a powerful political machine in Louisiana. Although operating with near-dictatorial powers, he was popular for his aggressive populist approach to the problems of the Great Depression. Long was assassinated in Racial integration came slowly to Louisiana. The graduate school at Louisiana State University was integrated under court order in The first integrated public school in New Orleans was in and the first in rural Louisiana in David Duke, a former leader of the Ku Klux Klan, was elected to the Louisiana legislature as a Republican in, but was later unsuccessful in a bid to become governor. Page 1

2 Chapter 2 : New Orleans - HISTORY Louisiana as a French Colony Difficult Early Years of the Colony. From its inception Louisiana faced an inauspicious existence. Its fate was bound to the French economy during the last years of the reign of Louis XIV. Child Trafficking, children, Eighteenth Century, France, French Louisiana, kidnapping, migration, Mississippi Company, Opinion, pronatalism, vastearlyamerica, youth Leave a comment As we continue to learn more about the seizure and internment of migrant infants and children, both along the U. As a historian of VastEarlyAmerica, with a focus on the French context, I keep thinking about the growth of the Louisiana colony in the eighteenth century. In addition to the forced migration and abduction of thousands of enslaved Africans, many of whom were children and adolescents, eighteenth-century French Louisiana was also populated with trafficked French children. In the early decades of the eighteenth century, the French faced a demographic problemâ few wanted to move to the Gulf South. For the French crown, this spelled disaster. This program was supposed to move adult convicts, vagrants, and other unsavory characters from France to her colonies. But by, the Mississippi Company had forcibly migrated at least 1, youths between the ages of fourteen and twenty five [2] across the Atlantic Ocean. Few, if any, of these youths were convicts. Instead, most were shipped to Louisiana as a result of a highly orchestrated trafficking scheme that focused on seizing minors from state institutions, like poor houses and orphanages, as well as through bounty-hunters who rounded up children in the streets. The program started during the fall of when John Law, the head of the Mississippi Company, arranged the transfer of boys and girls to Louisiana. On September 18,, Law coordinated the mass marriage of young couples in the church of Saint-Martin-des-Champs in Paris. The forced marriages were often fleeting, with more than half of the women and nearly a quarter of the men perishing in the overland journey and the voyage across the Atlantic. With the high mortality rate that came with moving bodies to, and across, the Atlantic, the Company realized that they still had an overabundance of males, making it necessary to import more females to Louisiana. At first, the Mississippi Company tried to use economic incentives to create a more favorable gender ratio by arranging for any girl who moved to the Louisiana colony to receive a sizeable dowry of livres, payable to her husband on her wedding day. To the dismay of the Company, only 3 girls, all suspected prostitutes, volunteered to move to Louisiana in But, these girls did not go to Louisiana without a fight. In November, for example, girls, all of whom had been rounded up in Paris by the Company, rioted as they awaited to board a ship. Company archers killed another six girls as they tried to flee the docks. The remaining girls, fearful for their lives, boarded the ship to the Mississippi. For many of them, the voyage was a death sentenceâ only 69 of the girls who boarded survived the trip. Just as the guards were beginning to load children onto the ship, 20 boys and 18 girls attacked two archers and four Company guards, seizing the keys to the shackles that bound the boys and the keys to the carts that carried the girls. In total, 48 boys and girls escaped and avoided being sent to Louisiana. By March, two more riots broke out, either when transporting people to La Rochelle or immediately before embarkation. For each person arrested, the bandoliers received a bounty between 10 and 20 livres. It is unlikely that all of these children were runways. Instead, most of these children, like Etienne Caper, a fifteen year-old apprentice, were simply at the wrong place at the wrong time. Neither of the boys were migrant runaways, nor had either been to a Parisian poor house. The Parisian poor quickly reacted to these child abductions, attacking bandoliers in the street. The Company often dressed the children in fanciful attire, putting ribbons in their hair and adorning them with various flags, suggesting this migration was a celebratory event. Yet, they were shackled, just like convicts. Instead, they were often transported late at night through the streets of Paris in order to avoid public demonstration. Despite these changes in practice, by the Mississippi Company successfully transported 1, children to the Louisiana territories, most of who settled in New Orleans. Reflecting on this story as well as others of child trafficking and separation, I am struck by how much of it resonates with current events. Poor record keeping, judgment calls about the morality of the children themselves, and the power of the state â all of these loom large not only in history but also in contemporary events. Policies of family separation and child abduction belong in the past, not in our present. Gosssard can be found on Twitter at: French Colonial New Page 2

3 Orleans Chicago, But this resulted in mass pandemonium in the church priory. Several fights broke out among both girls and boys who were unhappy with their choices. Although the mass marriage ceremony remained calm, the previous day was full of chaos and rebellion. Page 3

4 Chapter 3 : Part of the Long History of Child Trafficking: 18th-Century French Louisiana «The Junto Marcel Giraud, professor emeritus at the Collà ge de France, is the author of several books, including A History of French Louisiana, in five volumes, and the two-volume work The Mà tis in the Canadian West. Mardi Gras is an ancient custom that originated in southern Europe. It celebrates food and fun just before the 40 days of Lent: Louisiana has the tallest state capitol building in the United States; the building is feet tall with 34 floors. Louisiana is the only state in the union that does not have counties. Its political subdivisions are called parishes. The Superdome in New Orleans is the worlds largest steel-constructed room unobstructed by posts. The causeway connects Metairie with St. Tammany Parish on the North Shore. The causeway is 24 miles long. Louisiana is the only state that still refers to the Napoleonic Code in its state law. Breaux Bridge is known as the "Crawfish Capital of the World". In Louisiana, biting someone with your natural teeth is considered a simple assault, but biting someone with your false teeth is considered an aggravated assault. Money Magazine has rated Terrebonne Parish, in the heart of Cajun Country the best place to live in Louisiana for 3 years in a row. French for "Burnt Canes", Cannes Brulee was a name given by explorers who observed natives burning cane to drive out wild game. Between April 17, and May 18, 20 major Civil War battles and engagements were fought on Louisiana soil. Thirteen states were carved from the Louisiana Territory. The Louisiana Purchase nearly doubled the size of the United States. Claiborne had great admiration for the awkward bird that inhabited the Gulf Coast region. The pelican, rather than let its young starve, would tear at its own flesh to feed them. Incorporated in under the Lawrason Act, Saint Francisville is the second oldest town in Louisiana. By, it provided the area with many jobs for the laborers of the area. French speaking Acadians in the mids settled the Lafayette Parish region of south Louisiana. The Acadians were joined by another group of settlers called Creoles, descendants of African, West Indian, and European pioneers. At the time of the migration, Louisiana was under Spanish rule and authorities welcomed the new settlers. The city of Kaplan is referred to as "The Most Cajun place on earth". The town of Jean Lafitte was once a hideaway for pirates. Winnsboro, the "Stars and Stripes Capital of Louisiana", is one of the most patriotic cities in America. The name "Bogalusa" is derived from the Indian named creek "Bogue Lusa", which flows through the city. It was the first such spike driven by a woman. Jim Bowie, the legendary adventurer and hero of the Battle of the Alamo, lived in Opelousas after moving there from Kentucky. Opelousas is the third oldest city in Louisiana. The City of Ponchatoula is the oldest incorporated city in Tangipahoa Parish. Ponchatoula derives its name from the Choctaw Indian language meaning "hair to hang" because of the abundance of Spanish moss on the trees surrounding the area. Le Musee at appropriate times has exhibits centered on the seasonal festivals. Rayne is known as the "The Frog Capital of the World". Notations on the original plats of survey for the area that is now Ville Platte stated that surveyors had to use pirogues and flat boats to properly do their work. Because Covington is in a region referred to as the Ozone Belt, it has long been known for its clean air and water. Gueydan is known as the "Duck Capital of America" in recognition of its abundance of waterfowl. Back in the s the locks served as ferries to transport railroad cars from one side of the canal to the other. Workers would then reunite the railroad cars on land. This service may have sparked the name of the town. According to one local folk tale, trainmen would shout "West We Go" as the railroad cars were reconnected and pulled out of the station. A festival celebrates this designation annually on the first weekend in June. The Creole House in French Settlement was built of cypress wood. Pineville is home to a one of a kind museum called the Old Town Hall Museum. It is the only museum in the entire state of Louisiana dedicated to municipal government. Page 4

5 Chapter 4 : A History of French Louisiana: The Reign of Louis XIV, by Marcel Giraud The history of the area that is now the US state of Louisiana began roughly 10, years ago. The first traces of permanent settlement, ushering in the Archaic period, appear about 5, years ago (Mound Builders). Your mileage may vary. History from to Before The first inhabitants of southeastern Louisiana are nomadic Native Americans. They follow the Mississippi River, fishing the bayous and river for fish, shrimp, oysters, and crabs, and farm the swampy land. They are Chickasaw, Choctaw, and Natchez and are there for 10, years before the first white settlers arrive. About 12, Native Americans live in the region. Survivors of his expedition descend the river to its mouth in Louisiana is now a French royal colony. His efforts to locate the river are futile and he is killed by some of his men in Both of these men, who are to become very important in the history of Louisiana, are under the age of Le Moyne builds a fort near what is now Ocean Springs, Mississippi. It will be the capital of Louisiana until His party first sees the bluffs of Baton Rouge on March 17th. A small stream at the right of the river separates the hunting grounds of the Bayagoulas and the Oumas Indians, living on the Istrouma Bluffs. Its banks are separated by a reddened, foot-high maypole with several heads of fish and bear attached in sacrifice and dripping with blood. The natives had sunk it there to mark the land line between the 2 nations. He has exclusive trading rights. Trader Louis Juchereau de St. The site is not far from Bayou Barataria, which will later be the rendezvous of the famous pirates, Jean and Pierre Laffite. It offers access to the gulf without stemming the current of the Mississippi. The cultivation of rice, tobacco, and sugarcane begins. It will be called Baton Rouge. French engineer Adrien de Pauger lays out the first town plan for New Orleans, a rectangular grid of 66 squares in a classic 18th-century symmetrical gridiron pattern. New Orleans has a population of more than people, including male colonists, 65 female colonists, 38 children, 28 servants, 73 slaves and 21 Indians. It has about Cyprus cabins and inhabitants. A hurricane destroys 30 New Orleans houses and damages crops. German colonists who were flooded out on the Arkansas are persuaded by Bienville to settle along the river above the city. The French will be disappointed with the small income produced by the colony. Many colonists resist Spanish possession. The English have free passage the length of the river now. Baton Rouge is fortified by the British and called New Richmond. His manner lulls suspicion until he ascertains the leaders who oppose Spanish rule. He invites them to a reception, arrests them, executes 5, and sends the others to prison in Havana, Cuba. The succeeding Spanish rulers will be liberal and tolerant. Governor Unzaga is ordered to pay them out of the general fund until permanent taxes for the purpose can be provided. But only one free public school is opened the next year, and it never enrolls more than 30 students. Spain allows agents of the Continental Congress to use New Orleans as a base--they ship supplies up the Mississippi and Ohio rivers to the struggling American colonies. Within one season, there is a wholesale substitution of sugar cultivation for indigo on the plantations surrounding New Orleans. It has a monopoly until A treaty with Spain permits U. Spanish Governor Bernardo de Galvez conducts a surprise attack on the British fort at Baton Rouge and captures the outpost. As a result of this victory, the West Florida parishes are returned to Spanish rule. They build their own plantations. They are deeply religious with great pride of race and often own slaves themselves. Formal possession is transferred on December 20th. The purchase doubles the size of the nation and prompts a great increase in westward migration. Claiborne is the territorial governor. Louisianans desire immediate statehood. They organize the Republic of West Florida. President James Madison declares that the region belongs to the U. Pirate and smuggler Jean Laffite and his men begin operating off the Baratarian coast south of New Orleans. His ships, commissioned by several of the Latin American nations in revolt against Spain, prey on Spanish commerce. The Mississippi River soon becomes the chief shipping waterway of the inland area of the U. Louisiana enters the Union a slave state on April 30th. New Orleans becomes the state capital. A few days after Louisiana becomes a state, Congress adds West Florida to the state--the area is often referred to as the Florida parishes. Territorial governor William C. Claiborne is elected the first governor of the state. The War of breaks out, but New Orleans is not endangered until the fall of Neither side knows that the treaty of Ghent was signed 2 weeks before, ending the war. The Battle of New Orleans is fought, a decisive victory for the Americans, led by Jackson, who is suffering from Page 5

6 malaria at the time. Pirate Jean Laffite and Baratarians help out the Americans. Many settle down on Grand Terre to fish and trap. But the restless Jean Laffite moves on to another island fortress off the Texas coast. Thousands of recent Irish immigrants are employed in the digging. Shreve opens the Red River to navigation. Then Baton Rouge becomes the capital. The first railroad in the state is completed between New Orleans and Lake Pontchartrain. Mint is built in New Orleans. It will open its doors in Clinton, Mississippi and in the next year move to Brandon Springs, Mississippi. So, sugarcane, like cotton, becomes extremely profitable to grow, but also requires a large labor force. More and more slaves are imported or "sold south" to meet the demand. It is settled by Acadians and Mediterranean immigrants. Alexander Dimitry, the first superintendent, sets up a statewide public school system. It ranks first in exports. But 3 separate feuding factions live in what amounts to 3 separate cities: They all have their own civic rulers and social activities. Baton Rouge is the capital. Wealthy New Orleans merchant John McDonogh leaves half his fortune for the promotion of education in that city. Most of the free schools there before are supported from this fund. Louisiana State University is founded at Baton Rouge. The Civil War begins. The confederate government seems oblivious to the importance of holding New Orleans. The city front blazes with the fire from thousands of bales of cotton and hogsheads of sugar and molasses put to the torch to keep them out of Union hands. Butler and 15, soldiers take over the city. President Lincoln orders the Union military government to hold elections for Congress. Reconstruction of the state begins. A convention assembles to rewrite the state constitution. Union general Nathaniel P. Banks is put in charge of the Red River campaign and sent into Louisiana. The battle of Mansfield is fought in April. Pinchback, and William Pitt Kellogg. The Opelousas Massacre at St. Landry Parish on September 28th kills blacks. Nicholls and Republican S. President Hayes orders government troops to withdraw from New Orleans. The Democrats are left in control. Decades of political corruption leave the state one of the poorest and most underdeveloped in the nation. A modern school system begins after the passage of a general school act. Eads and his engineers deepen the mouth of the Mississippi River, providing a year-round shipping channel in the mouth of the Mississippi and allowing large ocean-going ships to dock at New Orleans. Page 6

7 Chapter 5 : A History of French Louisiana: The Company of the Indies, by Marcel Giraud The first four volumes of Marcel Giraud's History of French Louisiana, published in France between and, represent the most exhaustive and authoritative scholarly study of France's establishment in the lower Mississippi Valley. In this fifth and final volume of Giraud's magnum opus. Archaic period[ edit ] Watson Brake, the oldest mound complex in North America During the Archaic period, Louisiana was home to the earliest mound complex in North America and one of the earliest dated complex constructions in the Americas. The Watson Brake site is an arrangement of human-made mounds located in the floodplain of the Ouachita River near Monroe in northern Louisiana. It has been dated to about BC. The site appears to have been abandoned about Evidence of this culture has been found at more than sites, including the Jaketown Site near Belzoni, Mississippi. The largest and best-known site is near modern-day Epps, Louisiana at Poverty Point. The Poverty Point culture may have hit its peak around, making it the first complex culture, and possibly the first tribal culture, not only in the Mississippi Delta but in the present-day United States. Its people were in villages that extended for nearly miles across the Mississippi River. These descendant cultures differed from Poverty Point culture in trading over shorter distances, creating less massive public projects, completely adopting ceramics for storage and cooking. The Tchefuncte culture were the first people in Louisiana to make large amounts of pottery. Ceramics from the Tchefuncte culture have been found in sites from eastern Texas to eastern Florida, and from coastal Louisiana to southern Arkansas. Map showing the geographic extent of the Baytown, Coastal Troyville and Troyville cultures The Middle Woodland period started in Louisiana with the Marksville culture in the southern and eastern part of the state [4] and the Fourche Maline culture in the northwestern part of the state. These cultures were contemporaneous with the Hopewell cultures of Ohio and Illinois, and participated in the Hopewell Exchange Network. At this time populations became more sedentary and began to establish semi-permanent villages and to practice agriculture, [5] planting various cultigens of the Eastern Agricultural Complex. The populations began to expand, and trade with various non-local peoples also began to increase. Trade with peoples to the southwest brought the bow and arrow [6] An increase in the hierarchical structuring of their societies began during this period, although it is not clear whether it was internally developed or borrowed from the Hopewell. The dead were treated in increasingly elaborate ways, as the first burial mounds are built at this time. Archaeologists have traditionally viewed the Late Woodland as a time of cultural decline after the florescence of the Hopewell peoples. Late Woodland sites, with the exception of sites along the Florida Gulf Coast, tend to be small when compared with Middle Woodland sites. Although settlement size was small, there was an increase in the number of Late Woodland sites over Middle Woodland sites, indicating a population increase. These factors tend to mark the Late Woodland period as an expansive period, not one of a cultural collapse. Population increased dramatically, and there is strong evidence of a growing cultural and political complexity, especially by the end of the Coles Creek sequence. Although many of the classic traits of chiefdom societies are not yet manifested, by CE the formation of simple elite polities had begun. Many Coles Creek sites were erected over earlier Woodland period mortuary mounds, leading researchers to speculate that emerging elites were symbolically and physically appropriating dead ancestors to emphasize and project their own authority. Map of the Caddoan Mississippian culture and some important sites The Mississippian period in Louisiana saw the emergence of the Plaquemine and Caddoan Mississippian cultures. This was the period when extensive maize agriculture was adopted. By AD in the northwestern part of the state the Fourche Maline culture had evolved into the Caddoan Mississippian culture. By AD Plaquemine had started to hybridize through contact with Middle Mississippian cultures to the north and became what archaeologist term Plaquemine Mississippian. These peoples are considered ancestral to historic groups encountered by the first Europeans in the area, the Natchez and Taensa peoples. Archaeological evidence that the cultural continuity is unbroken from prehistory to the present, and that the direct ancestors of the Caddo and related Caddo language speakers in prehistoric times and at first European contact and the modern Caddo Nation of Oklahoma is unquestioned today. The Bayougoula, in areas directly north of the Chitimachas in the parishes of St. They were allied with the Page 7

8 Quinipissa -Mougoulacha in St. The Okelousa in Pointe Coupee parish. The Acolapissa in St. They were allied with the Tangipahoa in Tangipahoa parish. The Taensa, in northeastern Louisiana particularly Tensas parish. They were allied with the Appalousa in St. The Chitimacha in the southeastern parishes of Iberia, Assumption, St. Martin, Terrebonne, Lafourche, St. John the Baptist, St. Charles, Jefferson, Orleans, St. They were allied with the Washa in Assumption parish, the Chawasha in Terrebonne parish, and the Yagenechito to the east. Many current place names in the state, including Atchafalaya, Natchitouches now spelled Natchitoches, Caddo, Houma, Tangipahoa, and Avoyel as Avoyelles, are transliterations of those used in various Native American languages. The expedition encountered hostile tribes all along river. Natives followed the boats in large canoes, shooting arrows at the soldiers for days on end as they drifted through their territory. The Spanish, whose crossbows had long ceased working, had no effective offensive weapons on the water and were forced to rely on their remaining armor and sleeping mats to block the arrows. About 11 Spaniards were killed along this stretch and many more wounded. Neither of the explorations made any claims to the territory for Spain. French exploration and colonization â [ edit ] Further information: French colonization of the Americas European interest in Louisiana was dormant until the late 17th century, when French expeditions, which had imperial, religious and commercial aims, established a foothold on the Mississippi River and Gulf Coast. With its first settlements, France lay claim to a vast region of North America and set out to establish a commercial empire and French nation stretching from the Gulf of Mexico through Canada. It was also establishing settlements in Canada, from the Maritimes westward along the St. Lawrence River and into the region surrounding the Great Lakes. The French colony of Louisiana originally claimed all the land on both sides of the Mississippi River and north to French territory in Canada around the Great Lakes. Although British forces had occupied the "Canadian" posts in the Illinois and Wabash countries in, they did not occupy Vincennes or the Mississippi River settlements at Cahokia and Kaskaskia until, after the ratification of the peace treaty. It competed with the Dutch, and later English, across the northern tier for fur trade with the Native Americans. The fur trade also helped cement alliances between Europeans and Native American tribes. The settlement of Natchitoches along the Red River in present-day northwest Louisiana was established in by Louis Juchereau de St. Denis, making it the oldest permanent settlement in the territory that then composed the Louisiana colony. The French settlement had two purposes: The settlement soon became a flourishing river port and crossroads. Sugar cane plantations were developed first. In the nineteenth century, cotton plantations were developed along the river. Over time, planters developed large plantations but also lived in fine homes in a growing town, a pattern repeated in New Orleans and other places. They were concentrated along the banks of the Mississippi and its major tributaries, from Louisiana to as far north as the region called the Illinois Country, in modern-day Indiana, Illinois and Missouri. Initially Mobile, and briefly Biloxi served the capital of the colony. In, recognizing the importance of the Mississippi River to trade and military interests, France made New Orleans the seat of civilian and military authority. The Illinois Country exported its grain surpluses down the Mississippi to New Orleans, which climate could not support their cultivation. The lower country of Louisiana modern-day Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana depended on the Illinois French for survival through much of the eighteenth century. European settlement in the Louisiana colony was not exclusively French; in the s, German immigrants settled along the Mississippi River in a region referred to as the German Coast. Africans and early slavery[ edit ] In, two French ships arrived in New Orleans, the Duc du Maine and the Aurore, carrying the first African slaves to Louisiana for labor. This region between the Senegal and Gambia rivers had peoples who were closely related through history: Midlo-Hall says that this concentration of peoples from one region of Africa strongly shaped Louisiana Creole culture. They likely differed in religions. Some slaves from Senegambia were Muslims while most followed their traditional spiritual practices. Commentators may have attributed more similarities to slaves taken from among these areas than the Africans recognized among themselves at the time. Spanish rule did not affect the pace of francophone immigration to the territory, which increased due to the English expulsion of the Acadians from Canada. Several thousand French-speaking refugees from Acadia now Nova Scotia, Canada migrated to Louisiana after expulsion by the newly ascendant British, after conflicts in Canada. The first group of around arrived in, led by Joseph Broussard called "Beausoleil". The Acadian refugees were welcomed by Page 8

9 the Spanish as additions of Catholic population. Their descendants came to be called Cajuns. Both free and enslaved populations increased rapidly during the years of Spanish rule, as new settlers and Creoles imported large numbers of slaves to work on plantations. Although some American settlers brought slaves with them who were native to Virginia or North Carolina, the Pointe Coupee inventories of the late eighteenth century showed that most slaves brought by traders came directly from Africa. In settlements from New Orleans to Pointe Coupee north of Baton Rouge included 3, free persons and 4, slaves. By the census, which included West Florida, there were 19, free persons and 24, slaves in Lower Louisiana. Although the censuses do not always cover the same territory, the slaves became the majority of the population during these years. Records during Spanish rule were not as well documented as with the French slave trade, making it difficult to trace African origins. The volume of slaves imported from Africa resulted in what historian Gwendolyn Midlo Hall called "the re-africanization" of Lower Louisiana, which strongly influenced the culture. Documents have revealed that he harbored secret ambitions to reconstruct a large colonial empire in the Americas. This notion faltered, however, after the French attempt to reconquer Saint-Domingue after its revolution ended in failure, with the loss of two-thirds of the more than 20, troops sent to the island to suppress the revolution. After French withdrawal in, Haiti declared its independence in as the second republic in the Western Hemisphere. Incorporation into the United States and antebellum years â [ edit ] Main article: The Florida Parishes were annexed from the short-lived and strategically important Republic of West Florida, by proclamation of President James Madison in The Haitian Revolution resulted in a major emigration of refugees to Louisiana, where they settled chiefly in New Orleans. The thousands of Haitian immigrants included many free people of color, whites, and enslaved Africans. Some refugees had earlier gone to Cuba, and came from Cuba in another wave of immigration in The free people of color added substantially to the Creoles of color community in New Orleans and white Haitian immigrants added substantially to the French Creole community of New Orleans. These immigrants enlarged the French-speaking community. All of the limited number of U. Page 9

10 Chapter 6 : History of the Enslaved â New Orleans Plantation Country The first four volumes of Marcel Giraud's History of French Louisiana, published in France between and, represent the most exhaustive and authoritative scholarly study of France's establishment in the lower Mississippi Valley. They include the original Indian inhabitants, plus the descendants of a variety of settlers, among whom were the French, Spanish, English, German, Acadians, West Indians, Africans, Irish and Italians and now include almost every nationality on earth. The original French colonists were soon joined by the Spanish and Acadians, and later by French aristocrats fleeing slave revolts in the West Indies or the horrors of the French Revolution. Despite popular belief, it is incorrect to say that the Louisiana Civil Code is, or stems from, the Napoleonic Code. Although the developing Napoleonic Code influenced Louisiana law, the Napoleonic Code was not enacted until, one year after the Louisiana Purchase. A main source of Louisiana jurisprudence may in fact be Spanish. The resulting system of "civil law" in the Louisiana does differ from the "common-law" systems in the other 49 states. Ironically, it was the Spanish who built many of the colonial structures that still stand in the "French Quarter" of New Orleans, and Spanish is still spoken in some communities, particularly in St. Bernard Parish below New Orleans. Hundreds of German families were recruited in by the Company of the West which held the French royal charter for the development of Louisiana, and those sturdy pioneers settled upriver from New Orleans along a section of the Mississippi River that is still called the Cote des Allemands "German Coast". The parishes north of Lake Pontchartrain the sixth largest lake in the U. Some years later, in, citizens of the "Florida Parishes" staged the West Florida Rebellion against Spanish authority in the region. They established the West Florida Republic, which enjoyed independence briefly before joining the American territory that had been acquired from France through the Louisiana Purchase of Among the other nationalities that have settled in Louisiana are the Yugoslavians who made a success of oyster harvesting along the Gulf Coast and the Hungarians who became cultivators of strawberries and other crops in the Albany area. History No other state has a more varied or colorful past than Louisiana. At the outbreak of the Civil War, Louisiana became an independent republic for six weeks before joining the Confederacy. New Orleans and the surrounding territory controlled the mouth of the Mississippi River down which much of the produce of the mid-west travelled to reach market. With the acquisition of Louisiana, Jefferson nearly doubled the size of the fledgling U. Later, 13 states or parts of states were carved out of the Louisiana Purchase territory. Through much of its early history Louisiana was a trading and financial center, and the fertility of its land made it one of the richest regions in America as first indigo then sugar and cotton rose to prominence in world markets. Many Louisiana planters were among the wealthiest men in America. The plantation economy was shattered by the Civil War although the state continued to be a powerful agricultural region. The discovery of sulphur in and oil in, coupled with the rise of forestry sent the state on a new wave of economic growth. Eventually, Louisiana became a major American producer of oil and natural gas and a center of petroleum refining and petrochemicals manufacturing, which it remains to this day. In, as war neared between France and England, the British authorities demanded that the Acadians renounce their Roman Catholic faith and swear allegiance to the Crown. The migration of the French Acadians to Louisiana was neither smooth nor immediate. Many were shipped to the New England colonies, others to the West Indies or back to France, and many wandered for 20 years before learning that they were welcome in the predominantly French territory of Louisiana. Here they established small farms along the Mississippi River, Bayou Teche, Bayou Lafourche and other streams in the southern part of the region. Fishing and trapping villages were established in the swamplands. Cajun the word is a corruption of the original French pronunciation of Acadian--A-ca-jan Country today lies within a triangle whose base is the Louisiana coast and whose apex is near Alexandria in the central part of the state. Cajun cooking may be a first cousin to the Creole cuisine of New Orleans, but there is none other quite like it in the world for the imagination of its dishes or the artistic robustness of its seasoning. Favorite Cajun dishes include jambalaya, gumbo, turtle sauce piquante, andouille sausage, boudin a pork and rice sausage, cochon du lait, soft-shell crab, stuffed crab, a hundred shrimp dishes, crawfish etouffee, crawfish bisque, crawfish pie, and dozens more. Cajun music can be lively or melancholy - and sometimes both at once. The traditional Page 10

11 instruments are fiddle, accordion and triangle, and those still dominate although drums and guitars have found their way into Cajun bands in recent years. Like the spoken language of the Cajuns, the lyrics of their songs are part French, part English. The themes are universal, love lost and found and the beauty of their land, but the melodies and phraseology are unique. When oil was first discovered in the North Sea more than 5, Cajuns with experience working on oil rigs in the open sea were employed to drill the first wells and to provide training. Along with its food and music, the major trademarks of Cajun Country are pirogues canoes made from a single cypress log, Spanish moss, alligators, swamps, bayous and "Cajun Cabins". Planters initially used the fertile soil for indigo and tobacco, but these crops were soon replaced by cotton in north Louisiana and sugar cane in the more tropical southern part of the state. Sugar and cotton made the great mansions possible, but the designs of the homes came from as many directions as did the planters themselves. Its great umbrella-like hipped roof came from Canada and its wide galleries and turned colonettes slender wooden columns were developed in Louisiana. The earliest furnishings of the homes were made of oak or cypress by slaves on the plantations. Later, in prosperous years, European craftsmen came to Louisiana. European furnishings and art were imported through New Orleans and other ports. The plantation mansions of Louisiana still bear signs of efforts to make life in the new world as genteel and pleasant as possible. Many are surrounded by extensive formal gardens, and the approaches to some of the homes are lined with avenues of live oaks that are now huge in their old age. Pelicans are famous for their large bill, the lower portion of which has a pouch that can be greatly extended. State Tree The state tree is the bald cypress. Its shape, which varies from columnar to conical bottle-shaped, depends greatly on the amount and duration of flooding in the area. The bark is reddish-brown, fibrous, thin, and divided into small, flat ridges and shallow furrows. Leaves of the cypress tree spread in flat planes in the feathery pattern on its branches. It is a cross of the domestic dog the Indians of the Catahoula Lake region raised and the Spanish "war dog" that came through the area in the early s. The Catahoula has unusual glassy eyes, webbed feet, a spotted coat, and is gentle with children. State Flower The large, creamy-white bloom of the magnolia tree was designated the state flower in because of its abundance throughout the state. The magnolia is an evergreen and the flower is unusually fragrant. State Seal The state seal was adopted in and features a pelican tearing flesh from its own breast to feed its young. The pelican and its three young are surrounded by the Louisiana motto, "Union, Justice, Confidence. Page 11

12 Chapter 7 : blog.quintoapp.com - Explore A History of French Louisiana has 2 ratings and 0 reviews. Marcel Giraud has long been acknowledged as the leading European scholar in the filed of the h. African art, language, folklore and of course food are woven deep into the fabric of New Orleans Plantation Country. First brought to Louisiana through forced labor, the success of the region and its plantations were based largely on the intelligence and skill of the Africans. Through plantations, cemeteries, food, and more, the history of African- Americans can be deeply felt across the entire region. Here an array of breakfast items and of course donuts are on the menu. Your journey into New Orleans Plantation Country starts only 15 miles outside of downtown New Orleans at Destrehan Plantation, the oldest touring plantation home in the Mississippi Valley. Stories of the enslaved are also intertwined throughout the tour, such as that of Maugerite, an enslaved domestic who worked tirelessly to manage the manor home. Freshly caught seafood such as crawfish, crabs, and shrimp offer the perfect complement to this Louisiana staple. Stories of the enslaved continue at Oak Alley Plantation, where several reconstructed cottages offer deeper insight into their lives. From medicine to horticulture, the astounding details are creatively presented in each cabin. For thousands of years, this powerful river has served as a witness to our poignant history, a history that includes the arrival of the first Africans to the region. Try the fried chicken and waffles for a hearty start to the day! Recognized as the most complete plantation complex in the South, Evergreen Plantation offers a walk through the past like no other with 22 original slave cabins on its premises. A tour crafted from pages of documentation at Evergreen Plantation, provides one of the most thorough insights into the lives of the enslaved. Recently voted as the 3rd fastest growing cultural experience by Trip Advisor, Whitney Plantation is the only Plantation museum in Louisiana with a focus on slavery. While at Whitney, bring your lunch and enjoy their serene picnic area, where you can reflect on the powerful experience while communing with your family, visitors, and even the staff. Continue on the Great River Road to St. While there, visit the tombs of notable African-Americans, such as Demas, a founder of Southern University and one of the first black senators in the country. Dishes include Crawfish boletes, seafood platters, and even pulled-pork nachos to end your day on a delicious note. Day 3 The Our Lady of Grace original sanctuary, housed at Historic Riverlands, was truly a sanctuary to the many Black Catholics who sought a place to worship without segregation. This empowering tour combines the traditions of the church, the African- American experience, and a musical history that will leave you with a spirit of endurance and enjoyment. Or maybe a combination of both? Use one of our trip itineraries to get started. Page 12

13 Chapter 8 : Facts About Louisiana History: 7 Things You Might Not Know blog.quintoapp.com Originally colonized by the French during the 18th century, it became U.S. territory as part of the historic Louisiana Purchase in, and was admitted to the union in Louisiana's. Early cultures include the Woodland people and the Mississippian Culture. By the time Europeans arrived in the region, several Native American tribes inhabited the land. Some of these tribes included the Choctaw, the Natchez, the Chitimacha, and the Atakapa. First came Panfilo de Narvaez in and then Hernando de Soto in However, Europeans did not return and begin to settle the land for over years. The current state of Louisiana was just a small portion of this large territory. Early Settlers The first permanent settlement in Louisiana, the city of Natchitoches, was established by the French in along the Red River. Over the next several years, more French began to settle the region, especially along the Mississippi River. In, the city of New Orleans was established. It quickly became a major trade port for the territory as goods traveled down the Mississippi River and then to the Gulf of Mexico. New Orleans became the capital of the territory in Large farms called plantations grew up near the cities and towns in the region. At first they grew sugarcane and later they grew cotton. Slaves were brought in from Africa to work the fields. Spain took control of Louisiana in and then returned it to France in Initially, President Thomas Jefferson had only wanted to buy New Orleans because of its importance as a port. However, French leader Napoleon Bonaparte wanted to sell the entire territory. The purchase nearly doubled the size of the United States. The rest of the Louisiana Purchase was known as the Louisiana Territory. On April 30,, Louisiana was admitted as the 18th state. The last major battle in the war was fought at New Orleans. The British invaded New Orleans with an overwhelming force of 11, soldiers. Army under the leadership of General Andrew Jackson fought back and defeated the British. This was a great victory for the Americans and helped them to win the war. Civil War When Abraham Lincoln was elected president in, Louisiana joined the rest of the southern states in seceding from the United States. They joined a new country called the Confederate States of America. However, part of the Union military strategy was to gain control of the Mississippi River including the port of New Orleans. In, Union forces captured New Orleans and held this important port throughout the rest of the war. When the war ended in, Louisiana underwent a period of Reconstruction. The state was readmitted into the Union in More US State History: Page 13

14 Chapter 9 : Louisiana State Facts - blog.quintoapp.com The state with the greatest French influence is Louisiana, although the first European explorers were Spanish. De Soto came to Louisiana looking for gold in, but after his death in, the Spanish made no further efforts there. Important Dates, Events, and Milestones in Louisiana History Offers a chronological timeline of important dates, events, and milestones in Louisiana history. Native Americans settle what is now Louisiana at least as long as 6, years ago. Tribes of the Muskhogean language occupy the east-central and southeastern region. Tunican tribes live along the coast and in the northeast, and tribes of the Caddoan group inhabit the north and northwest. At the time of European arrival in the 16th century, there are more than 10, Native Americans in Louisiana. By about, 15, from six different linguistic groups are likely present Louisiana sits above the Gulf of Mexico at the mouth of the Mississippi River, bordered by Arkansas to the north, Mississippi to the east and Texas to the west. Originally colonized by the French during the 18th century, it became U. Denis founds Fort St. Jean Baptiste on the Red River at site of present-day Natchitoches - the first permanent settlement in Louisiana. Measuring three feet tall, the first levee is built on the Mississippi River to protect the below-sea-level New Orleans from flooding. The problem will plague residents and cause numerous disasters over the centuries. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans is built, the oldest in the United States - The first large importation of black slaves. German families arrive in Louisiana. Louisiana returns to royal administration. December 23 - St. Work begins on Cabildo and Presbytere. December 20 - United States Commissioners W. Claiborne is appointed governor of the Territory of Orleans. Baton Rouge becomes the capitol of the West Florida Republic. President James Madison orders Governor Claiborne to occupy. John the Baptist parishes suppressed. Pontchartrain Railroad begins operation with steam locomotive. Benjamin becomes Confederate Secretary of State. March 4 - Michael Hahn becomes Federal governor of Louisiana. April - Battles of Mansfield and Pleasant Hill. July 23 - New constitution Reunion abolishes slavery. Attack on rump constitutional convention defended by black Metropolitan police degenerated from battle into race riot resulting in the deaths of 38 persons and the wounding of August 11 - The Louisiana State Lottery is established. Lee beats the Natchez in the most famous steamboat race in history. A pitched battle between whites and blacks that ended in a massacre that killed 25 blacks. In all - at least 63 and quite possibly more than African-American men died violently during the riot. April 27 - The White League a paramilitary organization; its members wore no masks organized to combat the Kellogg racial policies. August 30 - Coushatta Massacre: The White League lynched five recalcitrant Republican officeholders. The Northern public expressed far more outrage of these five whites than over the deaths of many more blacks at Colfax a year earlier. Nicholls and Republican Stephen B. Packard claim victory in election for governor; both take oath of office. February - Packard relinquishes his claims to the governorship. April 20 - President Rutherford B. Hayes withdraws Federal troops from Louisiana - thus ending Reconstruction of the state. Eads completes the jetty system at the mouth of the Mississippi River. Corbett knocks out John I. Sullivan to become the new world heavyweight boxing champion. The name "Jazz" is given to music of New Orleans origin - A large natural gas field discovered near Monroe. Long becomes US Senator. Long briefly confined to mental asylums in Texas and Louisiana. Hale Boggs - is killed in a plane crash. Edwards wins landslide victory over incumbent David C. Treen for governor of Louisiana. December - Coldest December on record in Louisiana. November 11 - Louisiana World Exposition closes with financial loss. April - Tulane University discontinues basketball program because of point-shaving scandal. October 24 - Congressman Charles E. It changes, grows, becomes richer, and more complex when any individual interacts with it. Page 14