BreakBlog #5

New Orleans, even from the very beginning was a city of rich diversity.  The French and Spanish had control over the land before the United States declared their independence from Great Brittan.  The mixture of cultures caused a culture of acceptance from the beginning, since the two rules had to live in peace with each other on the same piece of land.   The area was also very urban, so that there were no large forms of agriculture such as cotton plantations, which were prevalent in the rest of the south.  These two factors contributed to the difference in black history in New Orleans.  Since multiple cultures, languages, and skin tones were already the norm between the French and Spanish, blacks were included in society with much more ease than in the rest of the south, which was predominantly white.  In addition, the work for black slaves to do was not so endearing as picking cotton in the hot sun all day.  Slaves had tasks indoors serving or constructing buildings.  These tasks took an amount of education, well-mannered behavior and skill.  Since these jobs were more dignified, the slaves who preformed those tasks were also seen as more dignified.  This resulted in more respect in society, the ability to earn and save money as well as to participate in free enterprise.  This is why New Orleans was so different than any other area in the time of the Civil Rights Movement.  The movement was a step backwards from what rights blacks were already experiencing in an earlier time period. 

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