City History: New Orleans

A contested public square shifts from open African dances to fences, bans, and white-only redesigns. Laws, moral panic, and changing demographics reshape social life and music. Public spectacles, military uses, and tourism alternately erase and revive the space. Modern preservation fights and drum gatherings aim to reclaim its original cultural identity.

A deep dive into why Congo Square kept a distinct African character and how that memory traveled beyond New Orleans. Short explanations of surviving musical and dance practices, from ring shouts to polyrhythms. Discussion of how varied African groups met there and why local authorities tolerated the gatherings. A look at Louisiana Creole and how outside writers and performers spread and distorted its story.

A vivid tour of Congo Square’s gatherings where music, dance, and African traditions pulsed at New Orleans’ edge. Scenes of energetic ring shouts, kalinda fights, bambula and juba dances bring the crowds to life. Rhythms, drums, melodic instruments, Creole lyrics and the ‘Spanish tinge’ show how diverse sounds braided together.

A deep dive into the origins of Congo Square and its role in shaping Black and African cultural life in New Orleans. Short scenes show the weekly market’s sights, sounds, and goods. Legal battles, city growth, and changing ordinances reshape how gatherings survived and were regulated. Tensions, containment, and a 1817 compromise highlight the complex politics around communal music and dance.

In our final battle episode, we dispel a few historical myths, muse on alternate history scenarios, and explore not just what the American victory prevented but created. (And also discuss the TREATY OF GHENT.)LEARN MORE:The Greatest Fury: The Battle of New Orleans and the Rebirth of America by William C. DavisThe British at the Gates: The New Orleans Campaign in the War of 1812 by Robin ReillyThe Battle of New Orleans: Andrew Jackson and America's First Military Victory by Robert V. ReminiThe Accidental City: Improvising New Orleans by Lawrence N. PowellThe World That Made New Orleans: From Spanish Silver to Congo Square by Ned SubletteSOUNDS:French Quarter Bourbon walk.wav by volivieri -- https://freesound.org/s/110012/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

We say farewell to the folks we've gotten to know during the Battle of New Orleans. The pirates Lafitte meet their end. We assess Andrew Jackson.LEARN MORE:The Greatest Fury: The Battle of New Orleans and the Rebirth of America by William C. DavisThe British at the Gates: The New Orleans Campaign in the War of 1812 by Robin ReillyThe Pirates Laffite: The Treacherous World of the Corsairs of the Gulf by William C. DavisThe Battle of New Orleans: Andrew Jackson and America's First Military Victory by Robert V. ReminiThe Accidental City: Improvising New Orleans by Lawrence N. PowellThe World That Made New Orleans: From Spanish Silver to Congo Square by Ned Sublette"The Battle of New Orleans Reconsidered: Andrew Jackson and Martial Law" by Matthew Warshauer"The Patterson and Ross Raid on Barataria, September 1814" by Robert C. VogelSOUNDS:French Quarter Bourbon walk.wav by volivieri -- https://freesound.org/s/110012/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

The victorious Andrew Jackson reimposes strict martial law on New Orleans. He arrests a senator and a federal judge—but soon faces justice himself. Meanwhile, diseases like typhoid and measles fell hundreds of victorious soldiers. LEARN MORE:"The Battle of New Orleans Reconsidered: Andrew Jackson and Martial Law" by Matthew WarshauerThe Greatest Fury: The Battle of New Orleans and the Rebirth of America by William C. DavisThe British at the Gates: The New Orleans Campaign in the War of 1812 by Robin ReillyThe Battle of New Orleans: Andrew Jackson and America's First Military Victory by Robert V. ReminiThe Accidental City: Improvising New Orleans by Lawrence N. PowellThe World That Made New Orleans: From Spanish Silver to Congo Square by Ned Sublette

After victory, New Orleans exhales... then throws its biggest party yet. We meet some fun characters as the British evacuate the field. Andrew Jackson is (symbolically) crowned Roman emperor.LEARN MORE:The Greatest Fury: The Battle of New Orleans and the Rebirth of America by William C. DavisThe British at the Gates: The New Orleans Campaign in the War of 1812 by Robin ReillyThe Battle of New Orleans: Andrew Jackson and America's First Military Victory by Robert V. ReminiThe Accidental City: Improvising New Orleans by Lawrence N. PowellThe World That Made New Orleans: From Spanish Silver to Congo Square by Ned Sublette"The Battle of New Orleans Reconsidered: Andrew Jackson and Martial Law" by Matthew Warshauer

An invading British army is obliterated by an unlikely coalition: American frontiersmen, French speakers, free men of color, pirates and a hundred kinds more. New Orleans is saved.LEARN MORE:The Greatest Fury: The Battle of New Orleans and the Rebirth of America by William C. DavisThe British at the Gates: The New Orleans Campaign in the War of 1812 by Robin ReillyThe Battle of New Orleans: Andrew Jackson and America's First Military Victory by Robert V. ReminiThe Accidental City: Improvising New Orleans by Lawrence N. PowellThe Pirates Laffite: The Treacherous World of the Corsairs of the Gulf by William C. DavisThe World That Made New Orleans: From Spanish Silver to Congo Square by Ned Sublette"Jean Lafitte, the Baratarians, and the Battle of New Orleans: A Reappraisal" by Robert C. Vogel"Always 'En Garde': The Effects of Slave Insurrection upon the Louisiana Mentality, 1811-1815" by Junius P. Rodriguez"William Claiborne and New Orleans's Battalion of Color, 1803-1815: Race and the Limits of Federal Power in the Early Republic" by James E. Wainwright"The Battle of New Orleans Reconsidered: Andrew Jackson and Martial Law" by Matthew Warshauer"British Command Decisions Relative to the Battle of New Orleans" by John K. Mahon

The Americans build a wall to defend New Orleans. The British army pays for it. Donate to help the victims and families of the New Year's tragedy on Bourbon Street. https://www.gnof.org/new-orleans-new-years-day-tragedy-fund-2/ https://www.unitedwaysela.org/UnitedforNOLA LEARN MORE: The Greatest Fury: The Battle of New Orleans and the Rebirth of America by William C. Davis The British at the Gates: The New Orleans Campaign in the War of 1812 by Robin Reilly The Battle of New Orleans: Andrew Jackson and America's First Military Victory by Robert V. Remini The Accidental City: Improvising New Orleans by Lawrence N. Powell The Pirates Laffite: The Treacherous World of the Corsairs of the Gulf by William C. Davis The World That Made New Orleans: From Spanish Silver to Congo Square by Ned Sublette "British Command Decisions Relative to the Battle of New Orleans" by John K. Mahon