African And European Influences In Louisiana

In 1803, a significant occurrence happened. The purchase of 827,000 square miles of land for approximately 4 cents an acre or 15 million dollars was made. This purchase was unlike any other, for it would have the most importance of any other purchase made in the United States. It is referred to as the Louisiana Purchase. The land that was purchased was known as the Louisiana Territory. Also, this territory wasn’t just bought. It was exchanged, for an important reason. The Louisiana Purchase is known as one of the most significant purchases or exchanges of money in the history of the United States of America. Additionally, the Louisiana Purchase was made for many important reasons, and was influenced by certain factors. Without the help and guidance of important influential people and countries, war and conflict, and exploration and discovery, the Louisiana Purchase may not have been as important is it is today, or may not have even been made.

Voodoo is an old religion that finds its roots in west Africa. Remnants of its physical history can be found throughout the West African Coast where major slave trading markets were located. An Example of this are locations contain trees of forgetting in which slaves were “Zombified” by administering herbs to make them more compliant. Today these historical sites draw tourist learning about the horrors of the slave trade Voodoo beliefs originated from African animist religions that predate Islam and Christian influences and were not understood by the European slave owners who forbid its practice. It created a fear in the Europeans and is misunderstood even today. Its travel to the Caribbean, Haiti and America had a lasting impact and is still practiced.

The area of New Orleans, Louisiana was one of the places that was strongly influence by Haiti. The City of New Orleans has the richest culture compare to others Urban area in the United States. Haitian life and elements is found in the tradition of voodoo. Which is still a part of the Culture in New Orleans today. Elements of the Haitian language was contributed to the Creole language. Which people speak in New Orleans and areas around it.

Africans have, since the early settlement of America, has had a great influence in the nation’s growth. These contributions to the United States from enslaved Africans have been greatly portrayed in American culture. Varying from cuisine, to song and dance are not only portrayed today but it has a deep-rooted impact throughout the United States. During the middle passage, enslaved Africans were forced to abandon their everyday lives, their families and their homes and forced to adapt to a new lifestyle they knew nothing of. However, upon arrival into the New World, due to their prior knowledge and wisdom from back home, they were able to quickly adapt and custom themselves to this new lifestyle in order to survive with the hope of potentially one day returning back to Africa. Unfortunately, African contributions to the culture of the United States has received little to no recognition and it has been taken credit for by Europeans and Whites since the early establishment of the United States.

New Orleans culture is a melting pot of Spanish, French, Mexican, Native American, and African descent. Creole is a term that refers to mixed-race natives of Louisiana. Many creoles were free and their ancestors often had the same rights as white people. They often received formal education and owned property and slaves. Creole culture was catholic and French-speaking as opposed to the Protestant and English-speaking whole of America. This amalgamation of cultures created a safe haven for personal expression, and caused the development and evolution of the culture and Jazz music.

Many of our life lessons were often given by our elders in the form of stories, jokes, and the spirituals which serve often song in the fields, as well as, on Sunday mornings. Yet, as a people, we thought it necessary to hold on these priceless teachings because it has served as the only link to our African ancestry. African American culture is both part of and distinct from American culture. African Americans have contributed literature, agricultural skills, foods, clothing, dance, and language to American culture.

From the 1500s to the 1700s, African blacks, mainly from the area of West Africa (today's Senegal, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Gambia, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Dahomey, Togo, Nigeria, Cameroon, and Gabon) were shipped as slaves to North America, Brazil, and the West Indies. For them, local and tribal differences, and even varying cultural backgrounds, soon melded into one common concern for the suffering they all endured. Music, songs, and dances as well as remembered traditional food, helped not only to uplift them but also quite unintentionally added immeasurably to the culture around them. In the approximately 300 years that blacks have made their homes in North America, the West Indies, and Brazil, their highly honed art

“If the United States had not purchased the Louisiana Territory and won the Western Lands from Mexico in the Mexican American War, our nation would be a very different place.” Firstly, if we wouldn’t have purchased the Louisiana Territory we would probably not have all the land that we have today in the United States. Secondly, in my opinion if it wasn’t for Thomas Jefferson, Meriwether Lewis, William Clark, and all the Native Americans the exploration could have been very different from what it was. Also, Meriwether Lewis led the expedition and William Clark was to co-lead the expedition with Lewis. The Louisiana Territory was a good move for the U.S. because it doubled the size of the United States!

Napoleon offered to give France back the Louisiana territory. However, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison did not want the French to colonize the Western and Northern Territories. Jefferson offered to buy New Orleans from the French to prevent the French from future colonization of US territories. Napoleon Bonaparte suggested for Spain to give the entire Louisiana Territory back to France. Once Spain gave up the Territory to France, Jefferson immediately offered to buy New Orleans to prevent them from future colonization.

One of the most famous Louisianians of all time is Marie Laveau, a voodoo practitioner with an interesting background who was considered “The Queen of New Orleans” (“Marie Catherine Laveau: Voodoo Queen of New Orleans (September 10, 1801 - June 15, 1881)”). She was the most well known practitioner of Louisiana or New Orleans voodoo, which was developed by the slaves brought to the south to work on plantations (“Voodoo in New Orleans”). Additionally, it was based on the Creole language and a strong belief in Catholicism, which greatly influenced Laveau during her lifetime. Even after death, Laveau has left a lasting legacy in New Orleans, which has inspired others and even led to the creation of a museum dedicated in her honor.

It has been almost 6 months now that my girlfriend and I came back from a trip to New Orleans. This is a town rich in history, amazing food, the locals were some of the friendliest people and the music of the city truly seemed to act as a heartbeat that gave the city life. However, something that truly caught my eye, were all the voodoo shops. One of their oldest cemeteries is home to the tomb of the “Voodoo Queen” Marie Laveau. Unfortunately when we went, they weren’t giving tours. When most in modern society most hear the word Voodoo; they probably think about what they’ve seen on movies… witch doctors, dolls that are used to curse Indiana Jones in the Temple of Doom or evil possession of people’s bodies through spirits. However, that really isn’t the case, for a religion that a lot of people really don’t know a lot about, the religion of Voodoo or Vodun. “The name was derived from the god Vodun of the West African Yoruba people who lived in 18th and 19th century Dahomey.” The African people were shipped as slaves to Haiti and other islands. Slaves practiced this religion but were also forced by the masters who owned them to practice Christianity. Which if you fast-forward to modern times, you will see that most adults in Haiti and some cities in the Southern States of North America not only still practice Voodoo but are also Roman Catholic.

“I’ve always had an interest for Louisiana, especially New Orleans”. That was a quote from the famous, Nicholas Cage. Louisiana is a very interesting state for many reasons, in my opinion at least. Louisiana was the 18th state to become a part of the union and is usually either known for their big Mardi Gras celebration, their great cajun food, or the amount of alligators and crocodiles they have.

Voodoo, which comes from the word ‘vodu’ in the Fon language of Dahomey meaning spirit/god, originated in Haiti during the French Colonial Period, the foundation of the tribal religions West Africa brought to Haiti by slave in the seventeenth century. Voodoo was developed as a religious ideology of Africanism, and as an occasion to meet, plan and motivate resistance to slavery. In the maroon communities, this played a great deal in the revolutionary struggle against slavery from 1797-1803.

     The Voodoo religion is one of the most, if not the most misconceived religions of our time. Often when Voodoo is mentioned, it is related to evil, black magic, devious sorcery, cannibalism, and harm. Although the Voodoo religion appears to the outsider as an illusion or falsehood, it has been an instrumental political force because it has helped the Haitians resist domination and form an identity of their own. Since the end of the 17th century, Haitian Voodoo has overcome every challenge it has been faced with and has endured. The religion is based on a polytheistic belief system and represents a significant portion of Haiti’s 8.3 million people. The engaging religion plays an important role in both the family

Africans who were brought to the Caribbean lost much of their culture during the period of slavery. Nevertheless, many African religious practices and beliefs survived until 1838.