History 3071 - Building the Devil's Empire

Margaret Cheramie

History 3071

"Building the Devil's Empire"

2/11/2010

In Shannon Dawdy's, "Building the Devil's Empire", we are given a intuitive overview of French Colonial New Orleans from its founding in 1718 to the revolt of the Creole's in 1768, which greeted the Spanish takeover from France. Dawdy focuses on the beginning of colonial New Orleans, the remains of its cultures, and the study of it present population to show what New Orleans actually was during colonial time and to prove that the city wasn't just a failed attempt for a perfect colony, but an experimental success. To describe this certain period in time, the author uses "stories of misadventure characterized by heroic travels, tragic failures, endearing pathos, and accidental comedy" (Dawdy,4), also known as a picaresque, to show what life was like for the people who lived there and for the people who were just visiting. This novel also highlights what is referred to as rogue colonialism to describe the relationships that the creoles had with each other and the relationships they had with outsiders.

In 1718, the French Crown founded New Orleans with hopes it would become the capitol of an ambitious colonial system. One of the biggest things that had to be taken into consideration when finding the perfect capitol for the new French colony was its location. The advantages that the future New Orleans held was its waterways; they were used for marketing goods, aiding troop movements, and they were able to attack ships coming downriver if needed. High hopes and standards were set for this new and upcoming colony to be France's prize possession. In 1719, John Law, one of the colonies investors, developed the Mississippi Company, an enterprise designed to help develop the then French colony of Louisiana. At first, this new business that Law had created helped colonial New Orleans by giving them a new money system and by increasing their income by trading natural resources with France. This company also gave Louisiana exclusive privileges such as appointing its own governor and officers in the colony and making land grants to potential developers. However, the success of this company wouldn't last very long. Louisiana had too few desirable products to trade and had no one to explore the land to find what other natural resources could be in store. Failed crops, Indian wars, slave insurrections, and financial disaster were all reasons that the Mississippi Company would soon fail, leading to what is now called the Mississippi Bubble. French designs and dreams collapsed leaving New Orleans being run loosely by France until Spain gained control in 1763. Since there were so many unexpected events and changes that took place in the colony during this time, it is surprising that French foundations lasted for fifty years. For most of the rest of the colonial period, merchants would import goods and slaves to make their living. The people who were now living in Louisiana would begin to make money by smuggling manufactured goods between New Orleans and the Caribbean. With goods coming into the city from its surrounding waterways, New Orleans instantly became a very popular trade network.

A good example of a successful smuggling businesswoman is the story of Madame Elizabeth Real Pascal Marin. As a teenager, she arrived in New Orleans as an indentured servant, but soon would become a prominent woman in society. After her first husband's death, she married into French nobility which linked her into the business world. After her death, it was found that her fortune, like many other colonists at this time, was built on smuggling. Elizabeth and her husband were known as innkeepers, but the fact that business travelers occupied the entire bottom floor of their inn was not known. It is believed now that the census that was taken during this time was off by about one-third because not all of the people living in the inn were accounted for.