New Orleans, the Founding Era: Growth of the City from 1718 to 1755

This unit includes three lessons that engage students in analysis of the earliest days of the city under French control. In the first lesson, students will analyze two documents that look at the roles of Africans and African Americans in early colonial New Orleans in order to understand the population’s significance. The second lesson has students examine statistics from census records collected in and around New Orleans in the early to mid-18th century, then respond to questions about the documentation of early inhabitants of the colony. The third section focuses on maps that span the French colonial period so students can analyze how city planners documented the growth and changes that the city experienced during this time.