A Brief History of Francophone Louisiana

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A Brief History of Francophone Louisiana
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After completing this program

• You will have basic information concerning the
  inhabitance of the Mississippi River delta area
  before Europeans arrived.
• You will have a general understanding of
  Louisianas history of colonial occupation and
  development.
• You will know the origin of the word cajun and
  the origin of the Cajun people.
• You will have general knowledge of slavery in
  Louisiana, and the movement towards civil rights.

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Table of Contents
Native Americans
African Slaves
Spanish Exploration
Review Questions
French Exploration
Conclusion
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Native American Presence

• Although this is a French class, it is
  important to have a basic understanding of who
  was in Louisiana before any Europeans even
  thought about the possibility of a New World.
  The native culture today is present, alive and
  intertwined with the French and African culture
  in Louisiana. Throughout our nation, Native,
  European, Asian, and African cultures exist and
  coexist.
• Remember that no culture is superior or more
  valuable than another. Even with all of our
  science, computer and mechanical technologies, we
  havent figured out exactly how the Egyptian
  pyramids were constructed which was way before
  there were cranes and bulldozers or
  computer-aided design.

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History

• Because there are so many Native tribes and
  nations in the U.S., it would be too difficult in
  this overview to adequately cover all the tribes
  and nations represented in Louisiana. Choctaw,
  Chitimacha, Coushatta, Tunica-Biloxi, Chawasha,
  and Washa have histories in Louisiana, but you
  will have a general idea of their collective
  history if we take a look at one of them the
  Chitimacha. According to artifacts found in
  their homeland, the area has been occupied as
  early as 4,000 BC, and continuously since 800 BC.
  Thats 2,499 years before the French arrived!!
  (World War II, which ended in 1945, seems like a
  long time ago, doesnt it, and yet that was only
  58 years ago.) Traditionally, the Chitimacha
  women grew beans, pumpkins, melons, squash and
  gathered fruits, vegetables, and nuts. The men
  supplemented this by hunting deer, buffalo,
  turkey, alligator and by fishing. Their main
  means of transport were canoes, some of which
  could hold more than 40 people!! They traded
  surplus food with tribes to the north in exchange
  for the stone to make tools and arrowheads.
• From the start, the Europeans, Spanish and
  French, introduced themselves with abuse, plunder
  (to steal by force), rape, and disease. Often,
  before and after establishing colonies or forts,
  the Europeans would make agreements for land or
  trade with the Chitimacha, and if the Europeans
  became greedy and wanted more than what theyd
  agreed upon, they would kill the men that did not
  give them what they asked for, taking their wives
  and maybe even the children. Many of these men
  were driven by greed, but also by the idea,
  reinforced by a distorted view of Christianity,
  that the natives were animals, less than human.
• Due to European killing and spread of
  disease, by 1700, the Chitimachas population had
  fallen by half. In 1718, they were relocated
  along the Mississippi River near the Washa and
  Chawash tribes, exposing all 3 tribes to disease
  and alcohol, so that by 1758, their combined
  populations had fallen below 400! Over the
  years, populations continued to fall until 1917,
  when they finally received federal recognition,
  and their last 260 acres (not even the size of
  most small farms today) were placed under trust.

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Today

• Christianity has come a long way, and today
  recognizes that all homo sapiens are human
  beings, and, as in our Constitution, are
  deserving of life, liberty, and pursuit of
  happiness. It must also be said that not all the
  Europeans were hostile and greedy, and many
  traded peacefully and fairly with the natives.
  Others chose to leave their original colonies
  and/or people to become part of a tribe. The
  natives, though cautious, were often initially
  welcoming, assuming that invading Europeans could
  be trusted to behave peacefully and fairly. Over
  the years, although many Europeans (now
  Americans) have come to respect American Indians,
  many government policies continue to make it
  difficult for them to receive better education,
  which would in turn lead to better jobs, allow
  them to reacquire more of their land, and to
  preserve and pass on the many aspects of their
  cultures.
• By 1950, 89 Chitimacha were living on the
  reservation with another 400 residing in the
  immediate areaUnfortunately, their small
  enrollment and success in finding work outside
  their reservation led to a governmental attempt
  to terminate their federal recognition in 1952.
  This was ultimately defeated, and the current
  Chitimacha constitution and bylaws have been in
  place since 1971. The tribe currently operates a
  museum, casino, fish processing plant, and school
  on the Charenton reservationthe Chitimacha have
  used the revenues from the casino and their
  other enterprises to reacquire land that was once
  part of the reservation. So far, nearly 1000
  acres have been added to the original 260.
  Current tribal enrollment is 900. (from
  http//www.dickshovel.com/chi.html )
• Want to find out more about the Chitimacha?
  Check out this cool, official website
• http//www.chitimacha.com/ . Let me know if
  youd be interested in having a pen-pal from
  their school!
• Would you like to join the American Indian
  Movement (AIM) and help the First Nations attain
  equality and justice? Check them out at this
  website http//www.aimovement.org/ .

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Spanish Exploration

• Spanish exploration of the Mississippi River
  from the south was driven by a desire to find
  gold and/or silver. Hernando de Sotos
  expedition by land from 1539-43, a four-year
  rampage, was the first to confirm European
  discovery of the mighty river. Many historical
  accounts simply say that they were convinced to
  explore elsewhere due to the hostile climate,
  wildlife, and geography, but we now know that
  once they had established a bad reputation with
  the natives through their inappropriate behavior,
  they were responsible for rendering the hot and
  humid climate and maze-like geography even more
  hostile for themselves. They tried on numerous
  occasions to send other explorers (1558, 1559)
  but were unsuccessful, or decided upon arrival
  that it was too risky. Although they did not
  venture into the land of the Chitimacha again
  until 1763, their trade goods laden with European
  diseases made their way inland to the Chitimacha
  and many other peoples, infecting and decimating
  populations along the way.
• In 1763, the Spanish took over from the French,
  and ruled until 1803.

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French Exploration

• From the north, canoeing the Mississippi
  River all the way from its source, came a
  determined fur trader named René-Robert Cavelier,
  Sieur de La Salle. The year was 1682, and he
  arrived at the Gulf of Mexico in April. The king
  of France at the time was the Sun King, Louis
  XIV, and in honor of the king, La Salle named his
  discovery Louisiane.
• La Salle went back to France to convince the
  king that Louisiana should be in French control,
  and upon receiving approval, sailed back with 200
  colonists in 1684. Unfortunately for the group,
  they went off course, and landed in Texas instead
  of Louisiana. The Karankawa nation were not as
  welcoming as
• the Chitimacha, and
  facing starvation, La
• Salle tried to lead a
  party of his men by land
• to the Mississippi River.
  Evidently not impressed
• by his leadership, his
  own men murdered him
• along the way. This left
  the rest of the group
• stranded back in Texas,
  and within the year, they
• were massacred by the
  Karankawa.

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more on French history

• King Williams War (1688-97) broke out
  in
• Europe between Great Britain and France and
• quickly spread to North America. The distant
• wilderness that La Salle had claimed wasnt
  very important anymoreespecially since it had
  very few beavers. France, helped out a lot by
  the naval exploits of Pierre Le Moyne, Sieur
  dIberville, emerged from this war in 1697 as the
  dominant power in North America. The successful
  end of the war allowed officials in Nouvelle
  France to direct their attention to their
  long-neglected province of Louisiana.

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Yikes! That rivers crazy!

• Two years later, in 1699, Pierre Le Moyne,
  Sieur dIberville sailed into the Gulf of Mexico.
  His party reached the mouth of the river on
  Shrove Tuesday, and celebrated Mardi Gras with a
  mass Te Deum. He was afraid that large ships
  would get stuck going into the mouth of the
  river, so he established the permanent settlement
  of Fort Maurepas right there on the Gulf.
• When he returned to France for more supplies
  and settlers, his brother, Jean-Baptiste Le
  Moyne, Sieur de Bienville, continued to explore
  the Mississippi. He must have had his heart set
  on establishing a settlement along the river,
  despite his brothers insistence that it was not
  navigable. Almost 20 years later, in 1718, de
  Bienville founded Nouvelle Orléans on a
  crescent-shaped section of the river 100 miles
  from the mouth. He named it after the Duc
  dOrléans of France.

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Lets catch up to today

• 1755 Le Grand Dérangement begins and thousands
  of Acadiens are deported. The word Acadien
  becomes Cadien and then Cajun.
• 1762 France cedes la Louisiane to Spain.
• 1785 Seven shiploads of almost 1600 people
  arrive in Nouvelle Orléans from France.
• 1789 La Révolution de France brings many French
  immigrants to Louisiana.
• 1800 Spain cedes la Louisiane back to France.
• 1803 Thomas Jefferson (3rd president of the
  U.S.) makes a deal with Napoléon Bonaparte
  of France, buying la Louisiane for 80 million
  francs (15 million).
• 1812 La Louisiane becomes an official state of
  the U.S.
• 1915 The State Board of Education suppresses
  French language in the schools. Children are
  punished when they speak French. Homeschooling
  wasnt an option because the 1916 Mandatory
  Attendance Act obligated parents to send their
  children to school.
• 1928 Joe Falcon and Cléoma Breaux make the
  first recording of a Cajun songAllons à
  Lafayette.
• 1941 World War II begins and many young Cajun
  men serve as interpreters in Europe.
• 1969 Arrival of the first teachers from France
  and Québec.
• 1971 La Louisiane elects its first
  French-speaking governor of the 20th century
  Edwin Edwards.
• 1970s 80s Cajun music and food gains
  international recognition. Its cool to be
  Cajun!
• 1981 First French immersion program introduced
  at La Belle Aire School in East Baton Rouge
  Parish.
• 1991 Arrival of the first Acadien teachers
• 1998 Louisiana State University begins a
  program in Cajun French Studies.
• 2000 Creation of the first francophone section
  of the Louisiana Bar Association.

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African slavery - History

• The idea of Africans as slaves in America began
  in 1619 when a cargo of twenty Africans was
  brought to the Virginia colony. Initially, both
  the Europeans and Africans who came to America as
  slaves were really considered indentured
  servants. Both were allowed to work off their
  wages and to buy their freedom eventually, which
  was set up on a 7-year period of servitude. By
  the late 1600s, however, Virginia and other
  Southern Colonies began to pass laws which
  prohibited African indentured servants from
  purchasing their freedom. Instead, a legal
  institution was developed which defined African
  slaves as property to the owners.
• In Louisiana and throughout the States, they had
  no legal right to marriage, so children belonged
  not to their own parents, but to their parents
  owners. The law gave masters the authority to
  judge and punish. Laws prohibited slaves from
  receiving a basic education, meaning, if they
  were caught with paper or a pencil, they were
  subject to disciplinary actions such as whipping.
• Africans were a powerful
  cultural force in Louisiana, mainly because
  they were introduced in large numbers during
  short time periods (especially the 1770s
  80s) and came mostly from one region in West
  Africa (Senegambia), and thus related more
  easily to one another. From this period through
  the antebellum era (post Civil War), blacks
  made up the majority of the population.

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Evolution of African presence

• African slaves realized early on that their best
  chance for freedom was in banding together with
  fellow Indian slaves. By the 1720s, the French
  had added considerable numbers of Taensa and
  Alabamon slaves to their already sizeable
  collection of Chitimachas. Indians held the key
  to successful uprisings because they knew the
  geography, the languages, and the indigenous
  peoples of the country.
• One example of this when
• several Africans joined Natchez
• warriors in their attack on the morning
• of November 18, 1729. They killed
• more than 200 French and liberated
• nearly 300 African slaves and about
• 50 white women and children.

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A Quick-look Timeline

• 1719 First shiploads of African slaves arrive in
  New Orleans.
• 1777 Vermont was the first state to abolish
  slavery.
• 1787 The U.S. Constitution allowed a male slave
  to count as 3/5 of a man in determining
  representation in the House of Representatives.
• 1811 Slaves revolted in 2 parishes about 35 miles
  from New Orléans.
• 1862 LUnion, the first black newspaper in the
  South founded in Louisiana.
• 1863 The Emancipation Proclamation freed all
  slaves in states in rebellion against the United
  States.
• 1865 The Thirteenth Amendment, outlawing slavery,
  was passed by Congress.
• 1868 (July 28) The Fourteenth Amendment was
  passed. It made blacks citizens of the U.S. In
  Louisiana, the states constitution extended
  voting and other civil rights to black males,
  established an integrated, free public school
  system, and guaranteed blacks equal access to
  public accommodations.
• 1875 (March 1) Congress passed a Civil Rights
  Bill which banned discrimination in places of
  public accommodation.
• 1883 Supreme Court overturned the Civil Rights
  Bill!
• 1915 The name of jazz is given to music of New
  Orleans origin.
• 1925 A. Philip Randolph organized the Brotherhood
  of Sleeping Car Porters.
• 1952 After keeping statistics for 71 years,
  Tuskegee, Alabama reported that this was the
  first year with no lynchings.
• 1977 Ernest Morial is elected mayor of New
  Orleans, becoming the citys first black mayor.
• 1981 The first Zydeco Festival took place in
  Plaisance, LA.

Back to Table of Contents
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Review Questions

• What year did the first Europeans discover the
  land that is now known as Louisiana, and which
  European country was it?
• Choose 2 American Indian nations that were/are
  present in Louisiana.
• Name the superior culture of Louisiana.
• Which two factors decimated the American Indian
  population of Louisiana?
• Who did La Salle name Louisiane after?
• The end to what war allowed France to redirect
  its attention back to the Louisiana territory?
• In 1718, Sieur de Bienville founded what city?

1539 French
1539 Spanish
1684 French
1563 British
Sioux
Chitimacha
Choctaw
Potawatami
French
Spanish
African
American Indian
No superior culture
Natural disaster
Disease
Famine
European killing
Louis Armstrong
Louis XIV
Louis Pasteur
Joe Louis
King Williamss War
French and Indian War
Revolutionary War
Baton Rouge
New Orleans
Lafayette
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Review Questions

• 
  Review Questions
• In 1915, the Louisiana State Board of Education
  suppressed which language in the schools?
• The term Cajun refers originally to which group
  of French in Louisiana?
• In the 1600s, Southern colonies began to pass
  laws which prohibited African indentured servants
  from doing what?
• American Indians and African slaves never joined
  forces due to religious reasons.
• The Thirteenth Amendment outlawed slavery.
• The Fourteenth Amendment made blacks citizens of
  the U.S.
• No lynchings took place in the United States
  after World War II.
• New Orleans has never had a black mayor.

Spanish
English
French
From France
From Martinique
From Acadia
Purchasing their freedom
Receiving basic education
Having children
True
False
True
False
True
False
True
False
True
False
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Sorry! Wrong answer.
Try again!
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Félicitations!!(Congratulations!)Très
bien!!!!(Very good!)
More review!
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Conclusion

• All of the cultures discussed have resulted in
  an integrated, largely bi-lingual culture.
  Louisianas history of French and American rule
  has resulted in Francophones and Anglophones
  (speakers of French and English). Within this
  group, there are variations in the French
  language, such as Cajun, standardized, and
  Créole. All of these cultures have intermingled,
  and French has become a common language in
  addition to English.
• The Cajun and Créole French, previously thought
  of as vulgar or ignorant, have both been
  legitimized and recognized as valuable through
  the publication of Cajun and Créole Dictionaries.