New Orleans was essential to the slave economy of the antebellum South. It was the major entry port and merchants from Europe and South America came to buy crops and sell their finished goods. Located at the mouth of the Mississippi river, it was the hub of distribution throughout the expanding nation. With its European origins, it served as a cosmopolitan center, enjoyed by foreigners and the elite of the planter aristocracy for whom it was a second home away from the confines of their estates.

• Note the priorities and principles of the slave South in the antebellum period
• Appreciate the vital role New Orleans served in this time and place

1. Discuss the economy of the antebellum South. Be sure to include the role of cash crops, the impact of limited manufacturing and the importance of New Orleans as a major entry port.
2. Explore the connection between economic priorities and political decisions that characterized the leadership of the planter aristocracy.
3. Provide students with MITN New Orleans:
   • 1829 City of New Orleans (Figure 10)
   • Inset: City Plan in 1728 (Figure 10a)
   • Inset: Mississippi Delta up to New Orleans (Figure 10b)
   • Inset: Plantations, Canals and Bayous (Figure 10c)
   and have them complete the Student Sheet either independently or in small groups.
4. Discuss their results

Time Allocation: Two class periods or as an extended homework assignment

Variation on the Activity:

• Contrast the City Plan in 1728 (Figure 10a) with 1720 Plan of New Orleans from MITN New Orleans
• Compare the trade data with information from other periods in US history
• Using 1829 City of New Orleans (Figure 10) write a newspaper that would reflect the priorities of the city as they are indicated on the map.
• Compare Mississippi Delta up to New Orleans (Figure 10b) with the 1839 Mississippi Delta (Figure 11) from MITN New Orleans and consider the impact of the navigational depths of the waters of the Mississippi as well as the distances traveled.

Special Resources for this Activity

• MITN New Orleans
  • 1829 City of New Orleans (Figure 10)
    • Inset: City Plan in 1728 (Figure 10a)
    • Inset: Mississippi Delta up to New Orleans (Figure 10b)
    • Inset: Plantations, Canals and Bayous (Figure 10c)

Assessment criteria

• Did the student display an understanding of the vitality of New Orleans and its centrality to the antebellum economy?
• Did the student note the development of the city economically and culturally?

New Orleans was an important city in the antebellum United States. It was the major trading port of the slave South and the locus of interchange between merchants, farmers and politicians. European in origin, New Orleans was vital to the expanding nation and helped shape the direction it would take. Your teacher will give you an 1829 map of the city that includes three insets, a cartouche (a picture drawn by the map maker) and economic data on trade. Please look at these closely and answer the following questions:

1829 City of New Orleans (Figure 10)

1. What is labeled on the map? What conclusions can you make about the priorities of the city based on these highlighted references?
2. To whom is the map dedicated? Why was it dedicated to him?
3. Compare this map to the City Plan in 1728 (Figure 10a). What is common to both maps? How had the city expanded?

Inset: City Plan in 1728 (Figure 10a)

1. What is identified on the 1728 map?
2. According to this map, what were the priorities of the early residents of the city?

Inset: Mississippi Delta up to New Orleans (Figure 10b)

1. What territory is covered by this map?
2. Identify the distance between key spots in the Delta and the city of New Orleans. What impact did this have on trade?

Inset: Plantations, Canals and Bayous (Figure 10c)

1. What pattern do the landholdings have?
2. What do you think led to this settlement pattern?
3. Is all of the land between the river and Lake Pontchartrain the same? What might account for these differences?

CARTOUCHE

1. What symbols are on the cartouche?
2. What do these images convey about New Orleans?
3. What do these images indicate about the South?

TRADE DATA

1. What were the major crops of the South?
2. What impact did these crops have on the life of Southern farmers?
3. How do you think these statistics changed over the next thirty years?