Acadian house in south Louisiana Mr. E’s Friday Nov.12 th Louisiana History Class

The Louisiana Purchase in 1803 more than doubled the size of the United States. The Mississippi River formed the eastern side of the purchase. The western side was disputed with Spain. Fact # 1 Cost: 4 cents an acre Or about $18.12 per Sq. mile

Fact # 2 The “Stars and Stripes” announced the United States claim to Louisiana. The citizens of Louisiana now must learn to be Americans and the Americans must deal with the unknown and little understood region. Fact # 2

Fact # 3 Gov. Claiborne faced many challenges. First there were Spanish officials that refused to leave. Finally by 1806 he was able to get them to leave their former colony. Claiborne called the French Creoles the “ancient Louisianians” but they were not eager to change Fact # 3

Fact # 4 After the revolution in Haiti, many free-people-of-color moved to Louisiana. Many former slaves in Louisiana also referred to themselves this way. Most established themselves in New Orleans and became skilled craftsmen – carpenters, shoemakers, barbers, black-smiths,and butchers. Gens de Couleur Libres Fact # 4

Many of the first American’s that Louisianan's met were “Kaintucks”. These westerners came down the Mississippi in flatboats and because of their behavior most Creoles thought all Americans were “rough, violent, and rowdy”. Fact # 5

Fact # 6 Much of the new territory had to be explored and President Jefferson send the famous expedition of Lewis and Clark. The undefined western boundaries with Spain also cause a lot of problems. Even the “Neutral Zone” extended from the Sabine to the Calcasieu.

West Florida was not included in the Purchase, it remained Spanish. New Orleans was the only land east of the river that was included. By 1810 Americans were in the majority in West Florida and they attacked a Spanish fort and gained control. In 1812 the new state government annexed West Florida. Fact # 7

After 1808, slaves could not legally be imported into the United States. But this did not stop slaves from being traded from state to state. In addition many smugglers continued to bring in new slaves. By 1812 the slave population of Louisiana was near 35,000. Fact # 8

As the number of slaves increased so did the unrest among them. In 1811, a major slave uprising took place near Norco in St. Charles parish. The slaves had no weapons, only what farm tools they could gather. Fact # 9

Fact # 10 Numbering in the hundreds, they headed towards New Orleans. The U.S. Army stopped them. Some were killed, many later executed, hung, and their heads cut off and put on poles to show what slaves could expect for rebelling.

Monday(15): War of 1812 Tuesday(16): Jean Lafitte Wednesday(17): Battle of N.O. Thursday(18): Post War Friday(19): Sub Upcoming Louisiana’s flag that never happened 18 stars and 18 stripes