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1. University of Louisiana at Monroe Louisiana History Essay
University of Louisiana at Monroe Louisiana History EssayORDER HERE FOR ORIGINAL,
PLAGIARISM-FREE PAPERS ON University of Louisiana at Monroe Louisiana History
EssayYour essay should answer the following question: How did Native Americans, Spanish
and French explorers, African slaves, French and Spanish governors, the Creole (keep in
mind the different definitions of), Cajuns, and English settlers each shape the development
of what becomes Louisiana by the conclusion of French rule in 1803?Essay Length (600-900
words)Thesis: Your essay should have a thesis statement. A thesis statement is a single
sentence that directly answers the question above.Location of Thesis: The thesis statement
should come as the last sentence of your introductory paragraph. University of Louisiana at
Monroe Louisiana History EssayBalance: Be sure to take into account different events and
people (name names).Support: Your essay should provide examples that support your
thesis. Examples of support to include in your essay are names, dates, key events, groups,
and ideas. These example should be drawn from readings in your Jones text.Also, your essay
should use as examples information from
Assignments2:2,https://64parishes.org/entry/voudou2:3,https://64parishes.org/entry-
document/louisianas-c…2:5,and 2:6,In addition, You should include people such as LaSalle
& O’Reiily, the dates for the French & Spanish periods, groups such as the African slaves,
Creole, Cajuns (Acadians), and Native Americans.Grammar: Correct grammar and spelling
must be used throughout your essay; do not use slang or text language. Do not use vulgar
language.Plagiarism: Your essay must be your own work; do not collaborate in writing your
essay; do not cut and paste material from the internet or any other source. Use your own
words in your essay. Simply changing a few word in a sentence or sentence found in Jones
or another source is not using your own words. Review Syllabus concerning
plagiarism.Plagiarized essays may receive a zero (0).Sources: Use as your source the Jones
text on our course Moodle. As this is not a research assignment, outside sources are not
necessary.Do not use Wikipedia as a source. Do no use .com sites as sources.Use of
Wikipedia or .com sites may result in a zero (0).We have plenty of material assigned from
Jones and on our course Moodle for use in an essay.Do not quote.Citing sources: Even
though we are not quoting, sources of information still need to be identified. All sources of
information used in the essay must be properly cited.When using the Jones text, simply
state Jones, chapter title, and page number.For example: (Jones, Civil War, p. 27).Failure to
cite the Jones text may result in a zero (0).If using another source from our course Moodle,
be sure to cite that source.University of Louisiana at Monroe Louisiana History

2. Essayattachment_1Unformatted Attachment Preview• 1UNIT 4SPANISH LOUISIANASpanish
flag used by Governor Galvez The French called their colony “Louisiane,” but when Spain
took over in 1763, itadopted the Spanish version “Luisiana.” Despite Louisiana’s strong
French culture, the Spanish name was kept even after the Spanish gave up
ownership.CREOLE REVOLUTIONA lack of money and involvement in European affairs
prevented the Spanish from actually taking control of Louisiana for several years after the
Treaty of Paris of 1763 was signed. Charles Philippe Aubry, the commander of the colony’s
French soldiers, was Louisiana’s acting governor at the time. Aubry was a good, decent man
who had been tortured by the Chickasaws during the war. He was described as “a little, dry,
lean, ugly man, without nobility, dignity, or carriage. . . .In him [was] excessive goodness,
which granted all rather than displease. . . .incapable of wishing evil. . . a good soldier, but a
bad leader.” Aubry was weak willed and reluctant to make unpopular decisions, but he was
ordered by his superiors to cooperate fully with the Spanish when they arrived.The
Louisiana Creoles (the French-speaking population) were not even told about the transfer
of ownership to Spain until 1764. They were outraged because they were loyal Frenchmen
who loved the king. Refusing to believe the king had simply given them away, the Creoles
convinced themselves a mistake must have been made and that perhaps the king had been
given some bad advice. One wealthy Creole merchant even went to Paris to convince the
king to take Louisiana back, and he enlisted eighty-six-year-old Bienville to accompany him.
The king refused to meet the pair, but the Prime Minister did. Bienville reportedly sank to
his knees and begged him to retake Louisiana, but the Prime Minister refused. • • 2Governor
Ulloa Antonio de Ulloa. Antonio de Ulloa (“OOL-yo”) was the first Spanish governor of
Louisiana but he was not a good choice for the position. Ulloa was a prominent scientist and
engineer who was a co-discoverer of platinum. He also was an introvert who did not like to
be around people or attend ceremonies or social events. In short, Ulloa simply did not fit
well in a colony that enjoyed a vibrant social life.The Spanish knew the Creoles were
unhappy about the takeover and did not want to provoke them. Therefore, Ulloa’s superiors
ordered him to move slowly and to not make any drastic changes in the government or
customs. Because of this order and his natural dislike of fanfare, Ulloa slipped into Louisiana
quietly in March 176 and immediately began making mistakes. University of Louisiana at
Monroe Louisiana History EssayOne of Ulloa’s greatest errors was not holding a public
ceremony to mark formally the transfer of Louisiana from French to Spanish ownership.
Instead of going to New Orleans and dramatically raising the Spanish flag, he took up
residence at Balize, near the mouth of the Mississippi River. For months, the French flag
continued to fly in New Orleans and the Spanish flag at Balize. Even when Ulloa did move to
New Orleans in January 1767, he refused to hold a ceremony to celebrate his arrival. Ulloa
also decided simply to rule from behind the scenes by allowing Aubry and the Superior
Council to remain in their positions and issuinghis orders through Aubry. By • • 3allowing
Aubry and the Superior Council to stay in place, however, Ulloa appeared to be weak to the
Creoles. Because Ulloa never held a flag raising ceremony and he allowed the Superior
Council to continue to govern the colony, the members of the Superior Council concluded
that the transfer of Louisiana to Spain was not finalized. The lack of a ceremony particularly
affected the councilmen because they believed it was necessary for the transfer of

3. ownership to be legal. Since no ceremony was ever held, the Superior Council was
convinced Spain did not really own Louisiana.Ulloa made other mistakes. He only brought
about 75 Spanish soldiers with him to Louisiana. Their presence angered the Creoles, and
the small number of men clearly was not enough to control a population of 7,500. More
Spanish troops did arrive later, but Ulloa never had enough to control the people. • •
4Spanish colonial soldierUlloa also angered the Creoles by marrying a mestizo woman from
Peru while he was at Balize. A mestizo (“mes-TEEZ-oh”) is someone who is part Spanish and
part Indian. The young woman became very unpopular with the Creoles because she treated
them rudely, and, even worse, the Creoles believed she had African blood because of her
dark skin. Because the Code Noir forbade the marriage of blacks and whites, the people
mistakenly believed the governor had broken the law. Ulloa further insulted the Creoles by
holding a private wedding ceremony and not inviting them to the event.Governor Ulloa’s
final blunder occurred when he began to meddle in the economy. Inflation was out of
control, so the governor tried to curb the rising prices by setting the • • 5prices merchants
could charge for certain goods. This action may have actually been necessary, but it greatly
angered the merchants to have the hated governor tell them what they could charge for
goods. Ulloa also tried to force Louisiana into the Spanish mercantile system by ordering the
merchants to stop trading with ports that were outside the Spanish empire and to only use
Spanish ships when trading. This meant cutting trade ties that had existed for decades. By
1768, the Superior Council hated Ulloa and routinely opposed everything he did. The
members still considered Louisiana to be French territory, and some councilmen and other
prominent citizens began plotting a rebellion.Creole Revolution.On the night of October 27,
1768, the Creole Revolution began when a mob disabled the cannons protecting New
Orleans. The next day, about 400 Creoles and residents of the German Coast stormed the
city, and two days later the Superior Council ordered Ulloa and his Spanish comrades to
leave the colony. Aubry was the only person with enough authority and military power to
save the Spanish. Because he was under orders to cooperate with the Spanish, he asked the
rioters to disband but then decided not to use force when they refused to obey. Unwilling to
shoot his own people, Aubry finally advised Ulloa to take shelter on the Spanish ships in the
river. On November 1, Ulloa left Louisiana. Without spilling any blood, the Creoles had
forced the Spanish out of the colony, and the French flag was raised over New Orleans once
again. For many years, people misinterpreted the Creole Revolution. Some older textbooks
claim it was the first independence movement in America, predating the American
Revolution by seven years. This is incorrect, however, because the Creoles were not trying
to win independence; they simply wanted to swap one king (Spain’s Charles III) for another
(France’s Louis XV).After the Spanish left the colony, the indecisive Aubry wrote two letters,
one to the French king in which he blamed Ulloa for what had happened and one to the
Spanish king in which he blamed the Creoles. The Superior Council was proud of its actions
and also sent a letter to the French king asking him to retake possession of Louisiana, but
the king ignored the plea. Meanwhile, Ulloa sailed to Cuba and sent a report to Spain.
Retribution was swift. • • University of Louisiana at Monroe Louisiana History
Essay6Alejandro O’Reilly O’Reilly was an Irishman who swore allegiance to the Spanish king
and became one of his favorite generals. After he entered the service of Spain, he changed

4. his name from Alexander to the Spanish Alejandro.Alejandro O’Reilly. On August 17, 1769, a
Spanish fleet of 24 ships carrying about 2,000 soldiers arrived at New Orleans to retake
Louisiana. General Alejandro O’Reilly, an Irishman who served the Spanish King Charles III,
commanded the armada. When O’Reilly unloaded his men and marched into New Orleans
the next day, Aubry quickly surrendered the city. In a great show of force—and this time
with the proper ceremony—O’Reilly raised the Spanish flag over the Place d’Armes, and
Louisiana was once againunder Spanish control.O’Reilly immediately sought out those who
were responsible for the Creole Revolution, and Aubry identified the leaders of the revolt.
The Creoles branded him a traitor for it,but Aubry was a military officer, and he had been
ordered by his French superiors to cooperate with the Spanish. When O’Reilly regained
control of the colony, the Spanish gave Aubry a large reward of money for his help. Unable
to stay in Louisiana, Aubry left the colony, but he drowned when his ship sank in a storm as
it approached France. Few in Louisiana mourned his death. • • 7Very quickly, O’Reilly
arrested thirteen people. Acting as judge and jury, he found twelve of them guilty of treason.
Five were executed by a Spanish firing squad, six were put in prison, and one man died in
prison before the trials (O’Reilly went ahead and tried and convicted him posthumously).
All of the men’s property also was confiscated, whichmeant their families were punished, as
well. This latter punishment made a strong impression upon the Creoles. It sent a clear
message that if anyone in the future challenged Spanish rule again, not only would they be
punished but their families as well. As a result, no one ever seriously challenged the Spanish
again.O’Reilly’s actions shocked the people because the men who were punished were some
of the wealthiest and most influential men in the colony. Because of the executions, O’Reilly
became known as “Bloody O’Reilly,” and he became one of the most hated figures in
Louisiana History.Modern historians, however, view O’Reilly differently because he really
does not deserve the nickname “Bloody O’Reilly.” In a day when brutal punishment was the
norm, the general could have executed everyone involved in the revolt. But he did not.
Instead, O’Reilly knew it was only necessary to punish the leaders. After arresting the
leaders, he generously pardoned all of the people who had actually made up the mob.
O’Reilly also accomplished a great deal, particularly in establishing a Spanish government in
Louisiana. He abolished the Superior Council and replaced it with the Cabildo, which served
as the governing body for New Orleans. The governor presided over the Cabildo, and it
included some members who were appointed and some who bought their position. O’Reilly
even allowed some Creoles to purchase positions on the Cabildo.The French Customs of
Paris were replaced with the “O’Reilly Code,” or Spanish law,and O’Reilly created the parish
system that Louisiana came to use for local government. Twelve parishes were created,
each with a Catholic church and a priest to serve it. This parish system of local government
was continued under American rule, and today Louisiana is the only state to have parishes
instead of counties. O’Reilly also gave out many land grants, fixed prices to stop inflation (no
one complained this time), helped the merchants develop trade ties with Spanish ports
(instead of just ordering it done as had Ulloa), and he took a census. He found there were
13,500 people in the colony, with 3,200 residing in New Orleans (about half the population
was slaves). What O’Reilly did not do is just as important as the changes he made. Although
he did establish language schools and promoted the Spanish language, O’Reilly did not force

5. the Louisianians to adopt the Spanish language or Spanish customs. He, and the Spanish
governors who followed him, adopted a policy of allowing the Creoles to keep their French
customs and traditions as long as they did not conflict with Spanish law. After their initial
resistance, the Creoles came to tolerate and sometimes appreciate Spanish rule, and they
even worked for their rulers—but they always retained their French • • 8identify and
culture. The tolerance begun by O’Reilly a llowed French culture to survive in Louisiana
throughout the Spanish period.By the time O’Reilly departed Louisiana in March 1770, he
had the Spanish firmly in control. University of Louisiana at Monroe Louisiana History
EssayDuring its thirty-seven-year rule, Spain was much more successful in Louisiana than
the French had been, and O’Reilly was largely responsible for it.GOVERNMENT AND
LAWThe government Spain created for Louisiana was more efficient than the French, and
this was largely because Spanish officials were well trained. While the French usually used
navy officers as government officials, the Spanish had people who were specifically trained
for the various jobs. Also, the Spanish were not as corrupt as the French, and there were
more checks and balances in place. This meant a superior watched over each Spanish
official very closely and made sure they did their job. It also made it more difficult for
officials to engage in corrupt activity.Like the French before them, the Spanish used a king-
appointed governor to run Louisiana from the capital in New Orleans. He answered to the
viceroy, the top Spanish official in North America who lived in Mexico City. Two lieutenant
governors, posted in Natchitoches and St. Louis, helped the governor run the colony. For
local government, Louisiana was divided into twelve parishes. Each parish had a
commandant who commanded the district, enforced the law, provided local defense, and
judged minor cases in court.The Spanish also had an official called the intendant who was in
charge of the colony’s economic affairs just like the French did. And, just like the French
commissary, the Spanish intendant and governor often clashed. • • 9The Cabildo Cabildo
was both the name of the New Orleans city government and the building in which it met.
The Cabildo was built in 1799 and today is a state museum.The Cabildo was the city
government for New Orleans. The governor presided over this council, and it included some
members who were appointed and some who bought their position. The Spanish even
allowed a few Creoles to purchase positions on the Cabildo. The Cabildo operated like a city
commission, with each member being responsible for a particular duty, such as police,
prisons, public works, or tax collecting. The Cabildo also passed laws for the city and
advised the governor. The Spanish legal system also was better than the French. While
serving as governor, O’Reilly replaced the French Customs of Paris with the “O’Reilly Code,”
or Spanish law. Under the French, the Superior Council or the fort commandants tried and
executed people, and their decisions were final. The Spanish, however, had different courts
that specialized in such things as marriage, property disputes, criminal charges, or trade.
The judges also were better trained in their particular field, torture was used less to extract
a confession, and anyone convicted of a crime had the right to appeal the conviction to the
Cabildo.The rights of slaves also increased when the Spanish adopted a new Code Noir in
1769. For the most part, the Spanish code was similar to the French. Punishment for violent
or runaway slaves was still brutal, and freed slaves continued to have the same rights as
whites. • • 10But there were some important changes. Under the Spanish, slaves could

6. testify in court, and they were guaranteed a thirty minute lunch break and a two hour
dinner break. In addition, slave owners no longer had to get the government’s permission to
free a slave and could free their slaves at will. Slaves were even given the right to buy their
own freedom. Skilled slaves, like blacksmiths and carpenters, often were allowed to work
on their own and make money if they shared their earnings with their owners. Some of
these slaves saved enough money to buy their freedom. If the owner and slave could not
agree upon a price, the government appointed an arbitrator to decide on a fair price.As a
result of these changes in the Code Noir, the number of freed slaves increased dramatically
under the Spanish. University of Louisiana at Monroe Louisiana History EssaySpanish Mardi
Gras One area in which the Spanish were not successful was in fighting crime. Louisiana
remained a violent, crime ridden colony, and Mardi Gras was a particularly dangerous time.
Criminals were able to hide behind masks and costumes and rob their victims without fear
of being identified. This became such a problem that the Spanish finally outlawed wearing
masks during the Mardi Gras season. • • 11GOVERNORSWhen O’Reilly left Louisiana, he was
replaced by Luis de Unzaga (“unZAH-gah”). Unzaga served as governor from 1770-1777,
and he was just the person to heal the deep wounds left by the Creole Revolution. Unzaga
had joined the army when he was sixteen and had a good government record. He also was
calm and easy to get along with, and the Creoles particularly liked him because he married a
Louisiana woman.Louisiana prospered under Unzaga. He established the first public school
in Louisiana and improved the economy. Although it was illegal to trade with England, the
governor knew it would be good for the colony so he allowed English trading vessels, called
“floating warehouses,” to come down the Mississippi River from West Florida and do
business in Spanish Louisiana.American Revolution. Even though Unzaga allowed the
English to trade in the colony, he did not like them and helped the Americans fight the
English during the Revolutionary War (1775-1783). When the Americans revolted against
England, Spain declared its neutrality and did not officially support either side. But the
Spanish disliked the English and hoped the Americans would win their independence. This
desire led Unzaga to offer help, even though it was illegal for him to do so.Unzaga provided
this aid through Oliver Pollock, an American merchant from Philadelphia who came to
Louisiana with two boatloads of wheat while O’Reilly was governor. The colony was
suffering from a food shortage, and O’Reilly allowed Pollock to sell his wheat in New
Orleans. Pollock and O’Reilly developed a good relationship, and Pollock settled in New
Orleans. When American agents came to Louisiana seeking help during the Revolution,
Pollock convinced Unzaga to sell them gunpowder from the Spanish arsenal.Bernardo de
Gálvez (“GAHL-vez”) became the new governor in 1777 at the age of twenty-eight. He, too,
was very popular (he married the sister of Unzaga’s wife) and became one of the best
Spanish governors. The new governor also worked secretly through Pollock to provide aid
to the Americans in their war for independence. Gálvez shipped medicine, clothing, and
weapons up the Mississippi River to Americans fighting under George Rogers Clark. Gálvez
and Pollock sometimes evenspent their own personal money for these supplies. • •
12Bernardo de Gálvez • • 13George Rogers Clark leading men to attack the British During
the Revolutionary War, western Americans fought the English and their Indian allies.
Famous American hero George Rogers Clark (older brother of William Clark of “Lewis and

7. Clark” fame) received important military aid from Louisiana Governor Gálvez.In 1778, a
crisis occurred when the American James Willing launched a military raid against English
West Florida. Willing and his men came down the Mississippi River in a boat to attack
English plantations around Natchez and Baton Rouge. He burned, looted, and stole private
property and even captured an English warship, and then brought all of the goods to New
Orleans to sell. This put Gálvez in a difficult situation. Since Spain was neutral, he was not
supposed to aid the Americans in any way, but he personally supported America. Gálvez
finally allowed Willing to sell some of his goods, but he also returned some property to the
rightful owners. After awhile, Gálvez tired of Willing and made him leave. The Willing
Expeditionprobably did more harm to the American cause than good because Willing’s
destructive raid drove West Florida settlers into the arms of the English. If Willing had
treated them better, they mi …University of Louisiana at Monroe Louisiana History Essay