New Orleans is a city in Louisiana which was founded by the French in 1718. It has been considered one of the most important cities in the South for most of the city’s history. For thousands of years the area was populated by Native Americans. After the French moved in it went through a period under Spanish rule, then back to French again before it was eventually sold to the United States in the ‘Louisiana Purchase’.
It was named ‘Nouvelle Orleans’ by the French and it was originally ruled by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville. It was named in honour of the Regent of France, Phillip II Duke of Orleans and the French always saw it as an important colonial city. The site was chosen because it is on high ground and was adjacent to the trading route between Lake Pontchartrain and the Mississippi river. In 1722 Nouvelle Orleans was made the capital of French Louisiana, in place of Biloxi. In the same year a hurricane hit the city, destroying most of the buildings. After this, the administrators introduced the grid pattern to the city, enforced by Bienville. This grid can be seen today in the streets of the French Quarter of the city.
In 1763 the British were victorious in the ‘Seven Years War’ and the colony that was west of the Mississippi river was passed to the Spanish empire as a secret agreement in the Treaty of Fontainebleau in 1762. This was to provide compensation to the Spanish due to the loss of Florida to the British, who also took Louisiana east of the river.
The Spanish didn’t send in a governor until 1766, and then there was a rebellion in 1768 by the French and German settlers who forced the Spanish Governor to flee the city, and return to Spain. It took a year for the Spanish to return and take control back of the city. After this, in 1788 and 1794 there were two fires which destroyed over 1000 buildings in the city and most of these were rebuilt in the Spanish style.
In 1795 the United States was given the ‘Right of Deposit’ by the Spanish allowing them to use the ports in the city.
By 1800 Spain and France had signed a treaty of ‘San Ildefonso’ which signed Louisiana back to France. However in 1803, Napoleon the sold Louisiana to the United States in the ‘Louisiana Purchase’. After a Haitian revolution in 1804, refugees arrived in New Orleans, often bringing Slaves with them. In 1812 the British sent in a force to attempt to take over the city but they were defeated by forces led by Andrew Jackson.
The population during the 19th century grew rapidly and contained a mixture of Americans, Africans, French and Creole French. The population had doubled by 1830 and by 1840 the city of New Orleans was now the wealthiest and third most populated city in the Nation. During the nineteenth century, New Orleans suffered epidemics of Yellow fever, Small pox and Malaria. This was more than likely caused by poor sanitation and public water.
