Louisiana

Louisiana entered the Union on April 30, 1812, as the eighteenth state. It ranks thirty-first in size among the fifty states, with a total area of 47,751 square miles (123,675 square kilometers). Louisiana is in the western south central United States and is surrounded by Texas , Arkansas , Mississippi , and the Gulf of Mexico.

Spanish explorers were probably the first Europeans to visit Louisiana, in 1541. The French claimed Louisiana in 1682 and named it after King Louis XIV (1638–1715). The economy failed to thrive under French rule, but settlers—whether from France or not—absorbed the French culture. In 1762, France ceded Louisiana to Spain. Under Spain's control, the colony prospered. By 1800, French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte (1769–1821) had forced Spain to return Louisiana to France, and he sold the region to the United States three years later—in the Louisiana Purchase —to keep it from the control of Great Britain.

The acquisition of Louisiana—which at the time included portions of fifteen current states stretching from present-day Louisiana to Montana —more than doubled the size of the United States. From 1815 to 1861, Louisiana was one of the most prosperous of the southern states as it produced valuable cotton and sugar. Wealthy planters dominated the state; their slaves comprised nearly half of the population. Little change occurred after the American Civil War (1861–65) and the end of slavery as white landowners, bankers, businessmen, and politicians continued to dominate state government. With whites at the helm, there existed no chance for social or political reform.

Social climate

The social climate improved with the election of Governor Huey P. Long (1893–1935) in 1928. In the years before his assassination in 1935, Long initiated much-needed reform in Louisiana. His brother Earl Long (1895–1960) served as governor three times, and his son Russell (1918–2003) eventually became a powerful U.S. senator from Louisiana. Under Long leadership, Louisiana developed into a major petrochemical-manufacturing center. Where once it was a frugal state, it became more liberal in its funding of welfare and social programs, highway construction, and education.

Race relations remained a point of conflict despite progress in other aspects of Louisiana society, culture, and economy. Throughout the 1990s, Louisiana experienced an increase in the number of high-technology jobs, yet it had more people living in poverty than any other state. As the twenty-first century dawned, the state grappled with racism, high levels of toxic waste from the petrochemical industry, a depletion of its natural oil and gas resources, and state government.

The twenty-first century

In August 2005, Hurricane Katrina destroyed the city of New Orleans and became one of the worst natural disasters in American history. Although the city had orders to evacuate, hundreds of thousands of residents were unable to leave before the hurricane hit. More than fourteen hundred people lost their lives in Louisiana, with 80 percent of them in New Orleans. Damages were estimated at $150 billion. Most of those who had been unable to leave were poor and of African American descent, a fact that brought to the fore once again the issue of race and class.

Louisiana in 2006 was home to nearly 4.3 million people, 32.5 percent of that population being African American. Many were descendants of families who lived there before the Civil War. Those of mixed blood are referred to locally as colored Creoles. Both Creoles and another cultural group, Cajuns, descend primarily from French immigrants. Only 2.6 percent of the state's population in 2006 was foreign born.

Louisiana is primarily an industrial state, but its industries are based on natural resources like oil, water, gas, and timber. Although education in the state lags behind much of the rest of the nation, Louisiana is rich in culture. New Orleans hosts an annual Mardi Gras, a popular carnival that traditionally lasts one month and includes parades and costumed balls. Thousands attend Mardi Gras each year. The celebration was scaled down after Hurricane Katrina destroyed much of the city. In addition to Mardi Gras, Louisiana is known for its Cajun cooking and is credited with making distinctive contributions to music in the form of jazz and Dixieland.