City History: New Orleans
HistorieA podcast exploring the history of New Orleans. Your support helps buy the books needed to make each episode! https://ko-fi.com/cityhistory We'll cover New Orleans's founding, its evolution through French, Spanish and American rule, the battle that saved it in 1815, Congo Square, its dramatic capture and occupation during the Civil War, its unique legacy of race and slavery, how it survived Prohibition, the Depression and hurricanes, Mardi Gras, jazz and the future New Orleans may (or may not) have.
Siste episoder av City History: New Orleans podcast
- 2.1: Congo Plains (00:25:12)
Congo Square is often described as the “birthplace of jazz.” But its history goes far deeper—as a place where, every Sunday, the enslaved of New Orleans would practice traditional African music and dance.In this first episode of a trilogy, we examine Congo Square’s origins, its persistence across French and Spanish New Orleans, and how early American officials sought to regulate it.LEARN MORE:Congo Square: African Roots in New Orleans by FreddiWilliams EvansCongo Square in New Orleans by Jerah Johnson“A Window on Slave Culture: Dances at Congo Square in NewOrleans, 1800-1862” by Gary A. DonaldsonThe World That Made New Orleans: From Spanish Silver toCongo Square by Ned SubletteCity of a Million Dreams: New Orleans at 300 by JasonBerryThe Accidental City: Improvising New Orleans byLawrence N. Powell“African Cultural Memory in New Orleans Music” byJason Berry“Deep Skin: Reconstructing Congo Square” by Joseph R. Roach“New Orleans Music as a Circulatory System” by Matt Sakakeeny“The Invention of a Memory: Congo Square and African Musicin Nineteenth-Century New Orleans” by Ted WidmerSOUNDS:French Quarter Bourbon walk.wav by volivieri --https://freesound.org/s/110012/ -- License: Attribution 4.0
- 1.31: Did the Battle of New Orleans Matter? (00:34:23)
Yes. And don't let anyone tell you otherwise. In our final battle episode, we dispel a few historical myths, muse on alternate history scenarios, and explore not just what the American victory prevented but created. (And also discuss the TREATY OF GHENT.)LEARN MORE:The Greatest Fury: The Battle of New Orleans and the Rebirth of America by William C. DavisThe British at the Gates: The New Orleans Campaign in the War of 1812 by Robin ReillyThe Battle of New Orleans: Andrew Jackson and America's First Military Victory by Robert V. ReminiThe Accidental City: Improvising New Orleans by Lawrence N. PowellThe World That Made New Orleans: From Spanish Silver to Congo Square by Ned SubletteSOUNDS:French Quarter Bourbon walk.wav by volivieri -- https://freesound.org/s/110012/ -- License: Attribution 4.0
- 1.30: The Goodbye Look (00:23:06)
We say farewell to the folks we've gotten to know during the Battle of New Orleans. The pirates Lafitte meet their end. We assess Andrew Jackson.LEARN MORE:The Greatest Fury: The Battle of New Orleans and the Rebirth of America by William C. DavisThe British at the Gates: The New Orleans Campaign in the War of 1812 by Robin ReillyThe Pirates Laffite: The Treacherous World of the Corsairs of the Gulf by William C. DavisThe Battle of New Orleans: Andrew Jackson and America's First Military Victory by Robert V. ReminiThe Accidental City: Improvising New Orleans by Lawrence N. PowellThe World That Made New Orleans: From Spanish Silver to Congo Square by Ned Sublette"The Battle of New Orleans Reconsidered: Andrew Jackson and Martial Law" by Matthew Warshauer"The Patterson and Ross Raid on Barataria, September 1814" by Robert C. VogelSOUNDS:French Quarter Bourbon walk.wav by volivieri -- https://freesound.org/s/110012/ -- License: Attribution 4.0
- 1.29: Old Dickory (00:20:38)
The victorious Andrew Jackson reimposes strict martial law on New Orleans. He arrests a senator and a federal judge—but soon faces justice himself. Meanwhile, diseases like typhoid and measles fell hundreds of victorious soldiers. LEARN MORE:"The Battle of New Orleans Reconsidered: Andrew Jackson and Martial Law" by Matthew WarshauerThe Greatest Fury: The Battle of New Orleans and the Rebirth of America by William C. DavisThe British at the Gates: The New Orleans Campaign in the War of 1812 by Robin ReillyThe Battle of New Orleans: Andrew Jackson and America's First Military Victory by Robert V. ReminiThe Accidental City: Improvising New Orleans by Lawrence N. PowellThe World That Made New Orleans: From Spanish Silver to Congo Square by Ned Sublette
- 1.28: The Saints Go Marching In (00:22:31)
After victory, New Orleans exhales... then throws its biggest party yet. We meet some fun characters as the British evacuate the field. Andrew Jackson is (symbolically) crowned Roman emperor.LEARN MORE:The Greatest Fury: The Battle of New Orleans and the Rebirth of America by William C. DavisThe British at the Gates: The New Orleans Campaign in the War of 1812 by Robin ReillyThe Battle of New Orleans: Andrew Jackson and America's First Military Victory by Robert V. ReminiThe Accidental City: Improvising New Orleans by Lawrence N. PowellThe World That Made New Orleans: From Spanish Silver to Congo Square by Ned Sublette"The Battle of New Orleans Reconsidered: Andrew Jackson and Martial Law" by Matthew Warshauer
- 1.27: The Battle of New Orleans (01:17:45)
An invading British army is obliterated by an unlikely coalition: American frontiersmen, French speakers, free men of color, pirates and a hundred kinds more. New Orleans is saved.LEARN MORE:The Greatest Fury: The Battle of New Orleans and the Rebirth of America by William C. DavisThe British at the Gates: The New Orleans Campaign in the War of 1812 by Robin ReillyThe Battle of New Orleans: Andrew Jackson and America's First Military Victory by Robert V. ReminiThe Accidental City: Improvising New Orleans by Lawrence N. PowellThe Pirates Laffite: The Treacherous World of the Corsairs of the Gulf by William C. DavisThe World That Made New Orleans: From Spanish Silver to Congo Square by Ned Sublette"Jean Lafitte, the Baratarians, and the Battle of New Orleans: A Reappraisal" by Robert C. Vogel"Always 'En Garde': The Effects of Slave Insurrection upon the Louisiana Mentality, 1811-1815" by Junius P. Rodriguez"William Claiborne and New Orleans's Battalion of Color, 1803-1815: Race and the Limits of Federal Power in the Early Republic" by James E. Wainwright"The Battle of New Orleans Reconsidered: Andrew Jackson and Martial Law" by Matthew Warshauer"British Command Decisions Relative to the Battle of New Orleans" by John K. Mahon
- 1.26: Line Jackson (00:28:04)
The Americans build a wall to defend New Orleans. The British army pays for it. Donate to help the victims and families of the New Year's tragedy on Bourbon Street. https://www.gnof.org/new-orleans-new-years-day-tragedy-fund-2/ https://www.unitedwaysela.org/UnitedforNOLA LEARN MORE: The Greatest Fury: The Battle of New Orleans and the Rebirth of America by William C. Davis The British at the Gates: The New Orleans Campaign in the War of 1812 by Robin Reilly The Battle of New Orleans: Andrew Jackson and America's First Military Victory by Robert V. Remini The Accidental City: Improvising New Orleans by Lawrence N. Powell The Pirates Laffite: The Treacherous World of the Corsairs of the Gulf by William C. Davis The World That Made New Orleans: From Spanish Silver to Congo Square by Ned Sublette "British Command Decisions Relative to the Battle of New Orleans" by John K. Mahon
- 1.25: Pull Dick, Pull Devil (00:22:54)
Gabriel Villeré escapes the British invaders. Jackson attacks them immediately. As a thick fog rolls in below New Orleans, both sides manage feats of strength. READ MORE: The Greatest Fury: The Battle of New Orleans and the Rebirth of America by William C. Davis The British at the Gates: The New Orleans Campaign in the War of 1812 by Robin Reilly The Battle of New Orleans: Andrew Jackson and America's First Military Victory by Robert V. Remini The Accidental City: Improvising New Orleans by Lawrence N. Powell The Pirates Laffite: The Treacherous World of the Corsairs of the Gulf by William C. Davis The World That Made New Orleans: From Spanish Silver to Congo Square by Ned Sublette "British Command Decisions Relative to the Battle of New Orleans" by John K. Mahon https://villerefamily.com/the-battle-of-new-orleans/
- 1.24: Sloop John Bull (00:14:02)
The British take the bad route to New Orleans. It is very cold. READ MORE: The Greatest Fury: The Battle of New Orleans and the Rebirth of America by William C. Davis The British at the Gates: The New Orleans Campaign in the War of 1812 by Robin Reilly The Battle of New Orleans: Andrew Jackson and America's First Military Victory by Robert V. Remini The Accidental City: Improvising New Orleans by Lawrence N. Powell The Pirates Laffite: The Treacherous World of the Corsairs of the Gulf by William C. Davis The World That Made New Orleans: From Spanish Silver to Congo Square by Ned Sublette "British Command Decisions Relative to the Battle of New Orleans" by John K. Mahon SOUNDS: spring field NL 01 200529_0183.wav by klankbeeld -- https://freesound.org/s/539262/ -- License: Attribution 4.0
- 1.23: Lockdown (00:29:30)
Andrew Jackson races to prepare New Orleans before the British invasion. The Lafittes cut a deal. An urgent message arrives from downriver. READ MORE: The Greatest Fury: The Battle of New Orleans and the Rebirth of America by William C. Davis The British at the Gates: The New Orleans Campaign in the War of 1812 by Robin Reilly The Battle of New Orleans: Andrew Jackson and America's First Military Victory by Robert V. Remini The Accidental City: Improvising New Orleans by Lawrence N. Powell The Pirates Laffite: The Treacherous World of the Corsairs of the Gulf by William C. Davis The World That Made New Orleans: From Spanish Silver to Congo Square by Ned Sublette "British Command Decisions Relative to the Battle of New Orleans" by John K. Mahon
- 1.22: Andrew Jackson (00:20:33)
We explore Andrew Jackson's path to New Orleans: His origins. The Creek War. Pensacola. And we see how he set up the American victory at New Orleans—before he even arrived. READ MORE: The Battle of New Orleans: Andrew Jackson and America's First Military Victory by Robert V. Remini The Accidental City: Improvising New Orleans by Lawrence N. Powell The World That Made New Orleans: From Spanish Silver to Congo Square by Ned Sublette "'Remember Fort Mims:' Reinterpreting the Origins of the Creek War" by Karl Davis "'A Slow, Laborious Slaughter': The Battle of Horseshoe Bend" by Thomas Kanon "British Command Decisions Relative to the Battle of New Orleans" by John K. Mahon "Red Stick War, 1813–1814" in Massacring Indians: From Horseshoe Bend to Wounded Knee by Roger L. Nichols SOUNDS: French Quarter Bourbon walk.wav by volivieri -- https://freesound.org/s/110012/ -- License: Attribution 4.0
- 1.21: Target New Orleans (00:22:12)
The War of 1812 begins! Seven weeks after Louisiana wins statehood, America declares war on Britain. It goes poorly. Britain puts New Orleans in its sights, and the militias—particularly, black militias—are, for now, its best defense. READ MORE: The Battle of New Orleans: Andrew Jackson and America's First Military Victory by Robert V. Remini The Accidental City: Improvising New Orleans by Lawrence N. Powell The World That Made New Orleans: From Spanish Silver to Congo Square by Ned Sublette "'The Preservation of Good Order': William C. C. Claiborne and the Militia of the Louisiana Provisional Government, 1803–1805" by Joseph F. Stoltz III "British Command Decisions Relative to the Battle of New Orleans" by John K. Mahon "Mr. Jefferson's Creoles: The Battalion D'Orleans and the Americanization of Creole Louisiana, 1803–1815" by Paul D. Gelpi, Jr. "William Claiborne and New Orleans's Battalion of Color, 1803–1815: Race and the Limits of Federal Power in the Early Republic" by James E. Wainwright "Always 'En Garde': The Effects of the Slave Insurrection Upon the Louisiana Mentality, 1811–1815" by Junius P. Rodriguez SOUNDS: French Quarter Bourbon walk.wav by volivieri -- https://freesound.org/s/110012/ -- License: Attribution 4.0
- 1.20: Pirate Endgame (00:19:03)
Pirate leader Jean Lafitte has a critical decision to make. So does the U.S. Navy. Nothing less is at stake than the future of Barataria Bay—and New Orleans. READ MORE: The Pirates Laffite: The Treacherous World of the Corsairs of the Gulf by William C. Davis "Jean Lafitte and the British Offer of 1814" by John Sugden "The Patterson and Ross Raid on Barataria, September 1814" by Robert C. Vogel The World That Made New Orleans: From Spanish Silver to Congo Square by Ned Sublette The Accidental City: Improvising New Orleans by Lawrence N. Powell
- 1.19: The Lafittes vs. The Law (00:24:55)
Jean and Pierre Lafitte fight the law in the bays and bayous of Louisiana. The Lafittes usually win (or at least escape). But the Navy and New Orleans gear up for a big showdown with the pirates of Barataria Bay. READ MORE: The Pirates Laffite: The Treacherous World of the Corsairs of the Gulf by William C. Davis "The Patterson and Ross Raid on Barataria, September 1814" by Robert C. Vogel The World That Made New Orleans: From Spanish Silver to Congo Square by Ned Sublette The Accidental City: Improvising New Orleans by Lawrence N. Powell SOUNDS: French Quarter Bourbon walk.wav by volivieri -- https://freesound.org/s/110012/ -- License: Attribution 4.0
- 1.18: The Pirates of Barataria (00:18:48)
Piracy explodes in the Gulf. Pierre and Jean Lafitte establish a pirate empire in Barataria Bay. Despite Jefferson's embargo, New Orleans residents enjoy tons of cheap, illegal goods. READ MORE: The Pirates Laffite: The Treacherous World of the Corsairs of the Gulf by William C. Davis "The Patterson and Ross Raid on Barataria, September 1814" by Robert C. Vogel The World That Made New Orleans: From Spanish Silver to Congo Square by Ned Sublette The Accidental City: Improvising New Orleans by Lawrence N. Powell SOUNDS: French Quarter Bourbon walk.wav by volivieri -- https://freesound.org/s/110012/ -- License: Attribution 4.0
- 1.17: The Slave Revolt of 1811 (00:30:26)
Hundreds of enslaved Louisianans rise up against the sugar plantations. Led by Charles Deslondes, this army marches on New Orleans while the U.S. military is away. READ MORE: American Uprising: The Untold Story of America's Largest Slave Revolt by Daniel Rasmussen The Accidental City: Improvising New Orleans by Lawrence N. Powell The World That Made New Orleans: From Spanish Silver to Congo Square by Ned Sublette City of a Million Dreams: A History of New Orleans at Year 300 by Jason Berry "'A Horde of Brigands?' The Great Louisiana Slave Revolt of 1811 Reconsidered" by Robert L. Paquette "The Persistent Specter: Slave Rebellion in Territorial Louisiana" by James H. Dormon "Historiographical Examinations of the 1811 Slave Insurrection" by Nathan A. Buman "Commerce and Slavery in Lower Louisiana" in Slave Country by Adam Rothman https://64parishes.org/entry/german-coast-slave-insurrection-of-1811 SOUNDS: French Quarter Bourbon walk.wav by volivieri -- https://freesound.org/s/110012/ -- License: Attribution 4.0
- 1.16: The Slavery Trials of Adelaide (00:16:10)
Adelaide, a Domingan refugee of color, arrives in New Orleans. She is free. And she has the proof. But people continually try to re-enslave her anyway. READ MORE: "Paper Thin: Freedom and Re-enslavement in the Diaspora of the Haitian Revolution" by Rebecca J. Scott "'She... Refuses to Deliver Up Herself as the Slave of Your Petitioner': Emigres, Enslavement and the 1808 Digest of the Civil Laws" by Rebecca J. Scott SOUNDS: French Quarter Bourbon walk.wav by volivieri -- https://freesound.org/s/110012/ -- License: Attribution 4.0
- 1.15: Welcoming, Enslaving Refugees (00:23:56)
10,000 refugees from San-Domingue/Haiti suddenly land in New Orleans. Thousands get homes and jobs. Thousands are re-enslaved at the docks. READ MORE: The Accidental City: Improvising New Orleans by Lawrence N. Powell The World That Made New Orleans: From Spanish Silver to Congo Square by Ned Sublette City of a Million Dreams: A History of New Orleans at Year 300 by Jason Berry "The 1809 Immigration of Saint-Domingue Refugees to New Orleans: Reception, Integration and Impact" by Paul F. Lachance "The Saint-Domingue Refugees and the Preservation of Gallic Culture in Early New Orleans" by Nathalie Dessens "Paper Thin: Freedom and Re-enslavement in the Diaspora of the Haitian Revolution" by Rebecca J. Scott "'She... Refuses to Deliver Up Herself as the Slave of Your Petitioner': Emigres, Enslavement and the 1808 Digest of the Civil Laws" by Rebecca J. Scott https://64parishes.org/refugee-revolution SOUNDS: French Quarter Bourbon walk.wav by volivieri -- https://freesound.org/s/110012/ -- License: Attribution 4.0
- 1.14: The Aaron Burr Crisis (00:22:22)
Aaron Burr plots a conspiracy. To stop it, General Wilkinson places New Orleans under military dictatorship. French speakers prove their loyalty to the United States. READ MORE: The Burr Conspiracy: Uncovering the Story of an Early American Crisis by by James E. Lewis Jr. The Accidental City: Improvising New Orleans by Lawrence N. Powell The World That Made New Orleans: From Spanish Silver to Congo Square by Ned Sublette City of a Million Dreams: A History of New Orleans at Year 300 by Jason Berry "William C. C. Claiborne: Profile of a Democrat" by John D. Winters https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/duel-burr-conspiracy/cx https://www.history.com/news/aaron-burrs-notorious-treason-case https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/99-01-02-4459 https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/99-01-02-4537 SOUNDS: French Quarter Bourbon walk.wav by volivieri -- https://freesound.org/s/110012/ -- License: Attribution 4.0
- 1.13: Lord of the Dance (00:21:33)
Americans believe New Orleans is ignorant, hedonistic and overly Catholic. Governor Claiborne is given near-dictatorial powers to rule. New Orleans residents get a bit too passionate about their ballroom dancing. READ MORE: "'Too ignorant to elect suitable men': Characterizations of Louisianans in Congress: 1803–1805" by Julien Vernet A Wilderness So Immense: The Louisiana Purchase and the Destiny of America by Jon Kukla The Accidental City: Improvising New Orleans by Lawrence N. Powell The World That Made New Orleans: From Spanish Silver to Congo Square by Ned Sublette City of a Million Dreams: A History of New Orleans at Year 300 by Jason Berry "The Public Masked Balls of Antebellum New Orleans: A Custom of Masque Tradition Outside the Mardi Gras Tradition" by R. Randall Couch "The Passion of the Prefect: Pierre Clément De Laussat, 1803 New Orleans, and the Bonapartist Louisiana That Never Was" by Eberhard L. Faber SOUNDS: French Quarter Bourbon walk.wav by volivieri -- https://freesound.org/s/110012/ -- License: Attribution 4.0
- 1.12: Three French Weeks (00:22:23)
The French tricolor rises over New Orleans. Three weeks later, the American flag takes its place. The last French governor has a weird, impactful year in New Orleans. READ MORE: "The Passion of the Prefect: Pierre Clément De Laussat, 1803 New Orleans, and the Bonapartist Louisiana That Never Was" by Eberhard L. Faber A Wilderness So Immense: The Louisiana Purchase and the Destiny of America by Jon Kukla The Accidental City: Improvising New Orleans by Lawrence N. Powell The World That Made New Orleans: From Spanish Silver to Congo Square by Ned Sublette https://64parishes.org/entry/pierre-clment-de-laussat SOUNDS: French Quarter Bourbon walk.wav by volivieri -- https://freesound.org/s/110012/ -- License: Attribution 4.0
- 1.11: Louisiana Purchase (00:29:59)
France secretly reacquires Louisiana, but only for a couple years. After military catastrophe in Haiti, Napoleon sells Louisiana to the United States. New Orleans's fate is changed forever. READ MORE: A Wilderness So Immense: The Louisiana Purchase and the Destiny of America by Jon Kukla The Accidental City: Improvising New Orleans by Lawrence N. Powell The World That Made New Orleans: From Spanish Silver to Congo Square by Ned Sublette SOUNDS: French Quarter Bourbon walk.wav by volivieri -- https://freesound.org/s/110012/ -- License: Attribution 4.0
- 1.10: The Americans Are Coming (00:23:31)
American settlers demand access to the Mississippi and New Orleans. Pinckney's Treaty chips away at Spanish control. "Kaintucks" and other Americans float downriver to New Orleans. READ MORE: A Wilderness So Immense: The Louisiana Purchase and the Destiny of America by Jon Kukla The Accidental City: Improvising New Orleans by Lawrence N. Powell The World That Made New Orleans: From Spanish Silver to Congo Square by Ned Sublette https://64parishes.org/entry/spanish-colonial-louisiana https://64parishes.org/entry/anglo-americans SOUNDS: French Quarter Bourbon walk.wav by volivieri -- https://freesound.org/s/110012/ -- License: Attribution 4.0
- 1.9: Conspiracy at Pointe Coupee (00:33:08)
In 1791 and 1795, enslaved people plot to overthrow Louisiana's plantation system. READ MORE: The Accidental City: Improvising New Orleans by Lawrence N. Powell The World That Made New Orleans: From Spanish Silver to Congo Square by Ned Sublette Africans in Colonial Louisiana: The Development of Afro-Creole Culture in the Eighteenth-Century by Gwendolyn Midlo Hall "The Pointe Coupee Conspiracy of 1791" by Ulysses S. Ricard, Jr. "The 1795 Slave Conspiracy in Pointe Coupee: Impact of the French Revolution" by Gwendolyn Midlo Hall "The Abortive Slave Revolt at Pointe Coupee, Louisiana, 1795" by Jack D. L. Holmes SOUNDS: French Quarter Bourbon walk.wav by volivieri -- https://freesound.org/s/110012/ -- License: Attribution 4.0
- 1.8: Aliens and Sedition (00:16:24)
Revolutionary ideas make it to New Orleans. The new governor deports potential agitators. A conspiracy develops in Kentucky. READ MORE: The Accidental City: Improvising New Orleans by Lawrence N. Powell The World That Made New Orleans: From Spanish Silver to Congo Square by Ned Sublette "Conflicting Loyalties: The French Revolution and Free People of Color" by Kimberly Hanger "The 1795 Slave Conspiracy in Pointe Coupee: Impact of the French Revolution" by Gwendolyn Midlo Hall SOUNDS: French Quarter Bourbon walk.wav by volivieri -- https://freesound.org/s/110012/ -- License: Attribution 4.0