A Brief History of New Orleans

In 1699, French explorers and brothers Pierre Le Moyne, Sieur d'Iberville and Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne, Sieur de Bienville found the mouth of the Mississippi River and established the first European settlement on the Gulf coast. Iberville was sure that the river was not navigable by tall ships, but brother Bienville continued to explore the river area with the help of the many native American tribes who were firmly established in the region. The native Americans showed Bienville a passage through Lake Borgne, Lake Pontchatrain, and Bayou Saint John to a patch of swampy land between the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchatrain. Bienville would establish the settlement of New Orleans, named after the Duc d’Orleans, on the high ground along the Mississippi.

A four-by-eleven block area was established on the bend of the river that became known as the Vieux Carre, old square, or French Quarter. It was anchored by a Catholic church on the river, St. Louis Cathedral; a government building, the Cabildo; a public square and military practice area, the place de arms, now known as Jackson Square; and shops and apartment buildings.

The people that inhabited early New Orleans came from many groups including Native American, French, African, and Caribbean islands. No group was dominant in the early days and there was a great mixing of the cultures. From this mixing came a unique culture that influenced food, music, architecture, and language. New Orleans became America’s most unique city with its multicultural influence and it joie de vivre (joy of life) attitude.

New Orleans was not without its problems, however. It was a difficult place to live with its swampy land, terrific heat and humidity. Mosquitoes plagued the residents with Yellow Fever and resulted in an unusually high death rate. New Orleanians were encouraged to join Benevolent Societies, where, aside from societal connections, they were assured a burial plot and a brass band to play at their funerals. Out of the sorrow of death came a proliferation of Jazz bands that began and flourished in the city.

Jim Crow laws of the south began to change New Orleans’ multicultural nature after the Civil War. African-Americans and Creoles, once a vibrant part of the city’s culture and social scene, were now excluded and marginalized in the city they helped found. A rare American city that started off with various ethnic groups for the most part getting along had become like most American cities in the 50s and 60s with racial tensions that occasionally broke out into riots. New Orleans remains a city of racial tension, but it seems to be put to the side at some of the great events such as Mardi Gras and the Jazz Festival, and at almost any event that involves food and jazz. Possibly, in the new New Orleans, people will find a way to get along and prosper together once again.