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Essay 2: What is the experience of enslaved people in Louisianan Antebellum

history?

During the antebellum period in Louisiana, the number of people who were held in

servitude expanded at an exponential rate. In tandem with the growth of the state and the fact that

agricultural life continued to be essential to the state's continued economic success, there was an

increasing need for the institution of slavery to be safeguarded. However, people were aware that

the institution was harsh, but they acknowledged that it was a necessary evil.

Slaves were forced to endure a life of toil that was concentrated on their work in the

farms and the fields under glaring and inhumane living condition. They toiled from sunrise to

sunset in order to make their masters' lives less difficult and more pleasurable. They were denied

even the most basic of rights, especially with the Dred Scot ruling. The use of religion was used

to justify slavery, which was occasioned by the need to maintain prestige as well as preserve the

agrarian-based economy. Books such as “Twelve Years a Slave” offer a glimpse into the

limitations imposed on slaves who were sold in open markets like animals, denied the

opportunity to read, and often separated from their families at the whims of the slave owners

(Northup). Women who were forced to work as wet-nurses for slave owners were required to

look after their master's children rather than their own. Enslaved individuals only had a weak

hold on their relatives and regularly risked having them taken away from them (Northup). Slaves

fought their imprisonment by escaping from the estates because of the severe conditions on the

plantations, which included hard work and harsh punishments. People who were enslaved often

ran away and lived as maroons in the marshes so that they might avoid dangerous labor and

being whipped. Those that were apprehended were subjected to harsh punishments such as being

branded with a branding iron, having their bodies mutilated, and ultimately being put to death.
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During this time, slave owners became more cruel, so it became more common for slaves to be

tortured and killed by their owners.

The lecture highlighted how one particular lady exemplified the horrific treatment that

was meted out to enslaved individuals. Slave ownership was a practice that was widespread

among members of the upper class in Louisiana, including LaLaurie. Not only was Madame

Delphine LaLaurie born into the affluent upper class, but she was also born into the more

affluent elite circles of society. Both of her parents had a prominent position in New Orleans

society, which they achieved as a result of their considerable money and high social standing.

Their extended family was also quite famous due to the fact that LaLaurie’s cousin held the

office of mayor of Orleans from 1815 until 1820. During her privileged upbringing in New

Orleans, she was given everything she wanted, and as a result, the foundation of her morality

was based on the expectation that she would always get what she wanted. She would later go on

to implement this savage attitude on her slaves. During the 1800s, New Orleans was a hub for

the bustling and lively slave trade. During this time period, there were members of all strata of

society, not just the elite, who bought and sold slaves. Slaves were able to be bought and sold in

Louisiana, even in public parks, ship docks, and other places that lacked discretion because the

state's policy regarding the slave trade did not protect their privacy (Northup). The law at the

time had introduced clauses that prohibited the inhumane treatment of slaves, but callous slave

owners, particularly wives of elites like LaLaurel, would have no hesitation in complying with

these codes.

Slaves who are not properly fed, clothed, or provided for by their masters

may give information to the attorney-general or the Superior Council, or to all the

other officers of justice of an inferior jurisdiction, and may give the written
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exposition of their wrongs into their hands; upon which information, and even ex

officio if the information comes from another quarter, the attorney-general shall

prosecute said masters. (Black codes)

She was obviously in breach of this law, yet she never experienced any serious scrutiny

or fear that her entire slave fleet would be sold because she was devious and also highly

connected. She was used to treating slaves anyway she pleased and frequently claimed riches as

a justification for breaking the law. Lalaurie frequently subjected her slaves to cruel treatment,

tying them to chairs and letting them burn mercilessly in the kitchen. She started with several

lashings and continued until the slave was rendered unconscious. An incident in the middle of

the 1830s led to an increase in rumors of abuse. One of LaLaurie's neighbors informed the law

enforcement officials in New Orleans that she had witnessed one of LaLaurie's slaves, a 12-year-

old girl, fall to her death from the mansion's roof. There were two competing explanations for

what happened, both placing LaLaurie at fault. The most widely accepted theory postulated that

the young girl accidentally hurt LaLaurie while brushing her hair, ran away to avoid punishment,

and then fell off the roof by accident. According to the second hypothesis, LaLaurie pushed her

off the roof. Regardless of how it happened, LaLaurie was to blame for the young girl's passing.

Her death, alongside that of the fire incident, only served to fuel societal apprehension of the evil

shades of the Louisiana slave trade in the antebellum era. Such stories also served to strengthen

abolitionist resolve against slavery.

Essay 3: A significant period in Louisiana history

The historical timeline of Louisiana can be broken down into several different eras, that

is, the French, Spanish, and American eras, respectively. From the beginning of its existence
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under France, Louisiana was doomed to a life of misfortune. During the final years of Louis

XIV's reign, the future of his country was inextricably linked to the state of the French economy

(Surrey). The French government, together with its highly centralized bureaucracy, did not

promote policies that would have encouraged the economic autonomy of its colonies, despite the

fact that France already controlled a massive empire at the time. In addition, because of the wars

that were raging in Europe, the French government was unable to adequately fund the

Department of the Marine, which was in charge of overseeing colonial operations.

The Mississippi colony suffered the most due to its position as the most recent addition to

the French imperial system, despite the fact that all French colonies were affected by the same

precarious conditions. Louisiana's settlers were ignored by the royal government and abandoned

to fend for themselves with whatever resources they could gather. The majority of the early

settlers were so distracted by the prospect of mines and gold that they barely bothered to hunt or

plant crops (French Colonial Louisiana - 64 Parishes.). Along the sandy beaches and riverbanks

of the Mississippi, there were not many farms that emerged. Early settlers scavenged for sea food

and wild seeds. This was because the earliest settlers were never supplied with adequate food

supplies. They bartered corn and game with the Native American tribes that lived in the area in

exchange for blankets and utensils whenever it was possible to do so. The town suffered a

significant decline as a result of disease, mainly yellow fever. The anguish was compounded by

the presence of floods, storms, humidity, insects, and venomous snakes. even though only a

small number of settlers managed to survive the ordeal.

Charter after charter was never successful in bringing the colony any form of prosperity.

An excellent illustration of this can be seen in the last days of Law's rule. He used his charisma

and enormous inflation to sell the colony as having a bright future. Promotional literature, a
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significant portion of which included maps of Louisiana, contributed to the exaggerated

reputation of Law as an outstanding banker and stirred enthusiasm for his intentions of

establishing and populating New France. When Law's organization was thrown into insolvency

in 1720 as a result of claims of inefficiency and severe suffering in the colony, the wild

speculative mania that had inflated the company's shares to otherworldly proportions burst like a

bubble (French Colonial Louisiana - 64 Parishes.). Because of the failure of the corporation, its

primary creditor, the Bank of France, was put out of business. As a result, hundreds of investors

throughout the continent were forced into bankruptcy, including John Law, who was driven out

of Paris by a mob. In 1731, the company's management returned its charter to the royal family.

This happened after several failed attempts to reorganize and years of financial losses caused by

bad management in Louisiana.

Crown officials had been preoccupied with the War of Spanish Succession and paid little

attention to the requirements of Lower Louisiana, passing over the same opportunities that were

exploited by the Spanish colonizers (French Colonial Louisiana - 64 Parishes.). Due to a lack of

government backing, Iberville and his aristocratic colleagues were unable to adopt the standard

French mercantilist practice of exploiting natural resources “furs, minerals, cash crops” from

colonial areas (French Colonial Louisiana - 64 Parishes.). Slave labor and the agricultural

expertise of nearby Native American communities helped the French colonists make up for

deficiencies. To get around the mercantilist policies of the French Crown, both upstart settlers

and entrenched aristocrats trafficked in trade commodities across the Mississippi Valley and the

Caribbean. Under Law, however, the European population expanded in Louisiana, laying a thin

groundwork for future expansion of the territory. There was also an increase in the number of

indentured Europeans. Nonetheless, not much was accomplished economically.

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The failures of French Louisiana prove that the period was not effective in securing the

future of the province. The French, on the other hand, were hesitant to continue with the loss-

making enterprise. After formally ceding Louisiana to Spain, through treaties signed in 1762 and

1763, during the 40 years that Spain controlled New Orleans, the city flourished as a commercial

hub between Spain and Cuba.

Works cited

“Black Codes.” in Strange True Stories of Louisiana, ed. George Washington Cable (New York:

Charles Scribner’s Sons Publisher, 1889), 204.

French Colonial Louisiana - 64 Parishes.” 64 Parishes, 22 Feb. 2022,

64parishes.org/entry/french-colonial-louisiana
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Northup, Solomon. 12 Years a Slave: A True Story of Betrayal, Kidnap and Slavery. Hesperus

Press, 2013.

Surrey, NM Miller. The commerce of Louisiana during the French regime, 1699-1763.

University of Alabama Press, 2006.