The Louisiana Purchase
Grades 7–9
Over the course of three lessons, the students will explore events that led to the United States’ purchase of the Louisiana Purchase territory from France in 1803. Students will analyze key letters from US officials regarding the negotiations for the purchase of New Orleans that ultimately resulted in a much larger purchase, doubling the land in the United States. Students also will examine and evaluate maps of the area to understand the impact of the Purchase.
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Marie Grissot, the Midwife Who Battled Bienville
In 18th-century Louisiana, bringing new life into the world was difficult and dangerous. So why did Bienville slash the salary of the colony’s only midwife?
Joan of Arc: Maid of (New) Orleans
Every year, New Orleans kicks off Carnival season with a parade in honor of Joan of Arc. But what is her historical connection to Louisiana?
Related Collection Highlights
Fortier Embroidery Sampler
A 200-year-old piece of needlework by a young student at the Ursuline Convent sheds light on the lives of Catholic Creole girls in early 19th-century Louisiana.
Ursuline Music Manuscript
This nearly-300-year-old songbook is the oldest known music manuscript in Louisiana history.
Robert R. Livingston’s Louisiana Purchase Letter
The coded midnight letter that foreshadowed the largest land transfer in US history
Related Books
A Company Man: The Remarkable French-Atlantic Voyage of a Clerk for the Company of the Indies
edited and with an introduction by Erin M. Greenwald
translated by Teri F. Chalmers
New Orleans, the Founding Era
edited by / édité par Erin M. Greenwald
translated by / traduit par Henry Colomer
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