Louisiana

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Louisianas Antebellum Era Riches and Repression
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The people of Louisiana
Louisiana Creoles Free People of Color Foreign
French Immigrants American Pioneers
Acadians Native Americans Slaves
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Creoles
French and Spanish descendants At the change of
colony to statehood the Creoles held their
traditions and heritage close -continued to
speak French Most came after the revolution in
Haiti looking for people like them-they found
that in Louisiana By 1810 the population of
Creoles doubled in New Orleans-creating a
distinct Creole culture
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Free People of Color
Gens de colour libre -free people of color Many
were well educated and considered middle
class Established a great society in New
Orleans Citizens (this was not the case in the
rest of America) -had their own established
newspaper and a literary magazine -Many were
artisans and store owners Rights of these people
fell in between whites and slaves -they were
allowed the innocent unless proven guilty -a
trial and the writ of habeas corpus-court
document that ensures a person cannot be held
unlawfully -they were not allowed to serve on a
jury-this meant that all juries were..white
-they were subject to specific laws could not
insult whites their discrimination-actions that
deny people their rights because of
prejudice-will only grow as the Civil War
approaches
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Foreign French
Due to political unrest in France, like the
French Revolution and Napoleons rule, many were
driven to leave their country and settle in the
most French place in the United States-
Louisiana The loyalists that remained in favor
of the king and those against Napoleon fled the
country The states native French called these
newcomers Foreign French These people wanted
to take charge and get into Louisiana politics,
but that offended the native Louisianians-they
will become great influencers of Louisiana
politics throughout the Antebellum Period and
into the Civil War
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Immigrants
There were many causes for immigrants to come
into Louisiana -Famine-prolonged/extreme
shortages of food- in Ireland they experienced a
famine due to the lack of their staple food,
potatoes -The Irish would be the largest group
of immigrants to come into
Louisiana Traveling by cargo ship from
Liverpool, UK to New Orleans, it is recorded
that close to half died on their journey to
New Orleans The Irish that survived took jobs
in New Orleans that no one else wanted-jobs
slave holders would not even allow their
slaves to do Cleared land, dug ditches, dug
canals- many died doing this filthy work
manual labor
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Immigrants
Germans -Fled after a failed revolution in
1848 -Most were Catholic and their casual
behavior on the Sabbath insulted the Protestant
Americans now residing in Louisiana Rather
than continuing church talk at home on
Sundays-Germans tended to come together and
drink -By 1850 ½ of the people in New Orleans
were from some other country
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American Pioneers
Most settled in Northern Louisiana or the
Northern Florida Parishes Came from other
southern states Were of English, Scottish and
Irish roots (remember ANGLO NORTH) Lived the
frontier life or began farms/plantations like
those in Virginia and the Carolinas
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Acadians
Kept to themselves during the Antebellum Period
and were not effected by this change in Louisiana
culture They kept their very simple bayou
living-spoke French, fished, kept their
traditions Prairie Acadians owned cattle ranches
called vacheries
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Native Americans
Most had disappeared by 1850 1835 the Caddo sold
their land and moved to Indian Territory
(Oklahoma) Those that stayed were very few and
kept to themselves much like the Acadians along
the small bayous
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Slaves
Created a lifestyle for themselves within the
slave community -Their life off of the fields
centered around the slave quarters which became
like a small city within the plantation a
slaves home was a 2 room wooden structure (they
were usually in two rows across from each
other) they gathered around these cabins to
enjoy games, food and conversation slaves
free time was limited to Sundays and at times
Saturday afternoons Music and dancing was
allowed at the end of the work week Dancing and
singing allowed them to blend their African
cultural traditions and their present
experiences Musical instruments were homemade
and included banjo, fiddle, and
drums Drums scared the owners because they
felt they would sound them to signal a slave
riot
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Slaves
All food was rationed Included salt pork (pork
jerky), corn or cornmeal and molasses-all of
these foods are fuel foods used to fuel the
body with energy, not nutrition Some plantation
owners allowed slaves to cultivate their own
gardens where they would have turnips, sweet
potatoes, cabbage, okra and black eyed
peas Seldom owners allowed them to raise pigs
and chickens
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SECTION 1 of Chapter 9 is Complete!
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Section 2 Terminology -faction -compromise -Jaques
Villere -sham Castle -Henry Clay -tariffs -kno
w nothings -depression Questions 1. What were
the 2 major political factions that existed in
Louisiana during the antebellum period? 2. Why
was the Louisiana constitution rewritten in
1845 3. Why was there an underlying conflict
between the Americans and the Creoles? 4. What
city was going to be the Louisiana State Capital?
Why was it decided it was not fit to be the
capital? 5. When was Baton Rouge decided to
become the state capital? 6. Why did the Whig
party disagree with the politics of Jackson? 7.
Explain the pros and cons/good things and bad
things of the 1845 state constitution