Slavery in Colonial Louisiana

Paper Summary:

This paper relates that most slaves in Louisiana were treated better than in other Southern states. The author points out that slavery began in Louisiana because of agricultural needs; Africans also labored in areas where the French did not want to work, such as the swamps of New Orleans, which the Africans cleared to create the port city. The paper relates that there was a general turning of the head when it came to black and white, male and female relationships during this time; thus, a large population of Creoles and mulattos date back to this time.

From the Paper:

"The Spanish slave code was called "Las Siete Partidas," and this code stayed in effect until many years after the Americans took over in 1803. Basically, the French laws had defined slaves as moveable property, while the Spanish defined them as "immovables" (Morris 74). Thus, the French looked as slaves of little importance and value, while the Spanish saw them as real and quite important property. Defining slaves as "immovables" did not mean they could not be bought, sold, or traded away from their families, however, and this began to occur much more frequently during Spanish rule. While the French might not have placed much monetary value on their slaves, they knew the importance of keeping them happy so their families would grow, prosper, and produce new slaves, and so, they encouraged a content family life, where the Spanish were more concerned with the value and ability to sell and trade their slaves."

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