Question

How did differences between Creoles and Americans contribute to political tension during Louisiana’s territorial period?

Answer 1

Answer:

The best responses for the differences that arose due to political tension during Louisiana's territorial period: Different American systems led to Creole concerns as to whether previous land grants would be honored; and Louisiana’s Creole population disagreed with the American denial of rights for Louisianans of color.

Explanation:

Louisiana was very different from the United States at the time of the territorial period. It had spent many years under French and then Spanish rule, and then back to French again. The result was that the culture in New Orleans was different in terms of language and religion, and in the Spanish system settlers to the region were given land grants. The Creoles were worried that the new American legal system would not recognize the legality of their holdings (Chamberland and Faber, 2014).

The new American territorial legislature also enacted a new slave code in 1806 that denied the few rights that the Louisiana system had given to slaves previously, called the Code Noir. The slaves in Louisiana were no longer permitted to inherit anything or to own property and they could not purchase themselves as a way to gain their freedom. People of color were expected suddenly to treat whites with deference in the 1806 code, something that previously was not codified into Louisiana law.  There was also a significant free black population in New Orleans at the time of the Louisiana Purchase that would gradually see their privileges and rights revoked and suppressed once Louisiana became a state (Hanger, 2007).