The Battle for New Orleans

The Louisiana Purchase doubled the size of the United States and provided access to the Mississippi River. With this abundant new land, farmers and traders produced great quantities of goods which were then shipped down the river, through the port of New Orleans and out to the east coast and Europe. New Orleans grew rapidly and became a multicultural city with the French, Canadians, Native Americans, Spanish, and African-Americans mixing and forming a unique atmsophere. This creative and energetic mix of people has sustained New Orleans through difficult times.

The Battle of New Orleans, the most famous battle from the War of 1812, elevated Andrew Jackson to national prominence. His statue is prominently displayed in the center of the city in Jackson Square located in front of the oldest Catholic cathedral in the United States.


The Second Battle of New Orleans

With Hurricane Katrina's massive devastation of this vital city, a new battle for New Orleans is now being waged. Relief workers, construction crews, government advisors, and volunteers from across the country have poured in to help revitalize a city that is important to our entire country. One of the hallmark traditions of the city is the Mardi Gras celebration. Social groups that have been formed for over 100 years gather and display their imagination and creativity with parades containing theme floats, marching bands, and gaily costumed groups. One of my favorites was the Elvis look-alikes on mortorcycles. In addition to the gaiety of the event, this year's Mardi Gras took on a political bent as numerous floats displayed their disappointment in government officials who did not recognize their desperate needs in the first few days after the storm.
This float picturers Michael Brown, former Director of FEMA, Governor Blanco, and Mayor Nagin cooking up a "Super-Gumbo" which is made up of the people of New Orleans. As the float pulled away, the back panel had a caricature of President Bush. You can see the people of New Olreans are bi-partisan in their criticism of the relief efforts. All of us hope that these searing lessons will mean that our government will be better prepared the next time a disaster hits.

Territorial Expansion

This week we finished putting the land puzzle pieces together which formed the United States. We added Texas, the Southwest, California, and Oregon. Methods of acquisition differed but President Polk was clear in his vision. He believed in Manifest Destiny and the need for the United States to stretch from coast to coast.

You have your rubric for the map and chart which will be due March 9. You will also have an on demand writing assignment on the two questions on your syllabus.

Congratulations

Interterm grades were posted this week and congratulations to all who met or exceeded standard. Students who reached this goal did their homework, participated in class discussions, and came to class every day ready to learn.

Kudos also to AA who correctly identified three out of the four picturers on the last blog.

And a special "merci" to KLM, KL and Doppler for an insider's look at New Orleans! I shall return...