WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:01.580 Welcome back to The Deep Dive. This is where 00:00:01.580 --> 00:00:04.200 we take your source material, all your notes 00:00:04.200 --> 00:00:07.540 and research, and we execute a mission to really 00:00:07.540 --> 00:00:10.560 distill what's most vital. And today we are setting 00:00:10.560 --> 00:00:13.880 our course for a place that honestly feels less 00:00:13.880 --> 00:00:18.339 like an American state and more like, well, like 00:00:18.339 --> 00:00:20.760 its own country almost. A fiercely preserved 00:00:20.760 --> 00:00:23.160 European colony, maybe. Yeah. Just dropped right 00:00:23.160 --> 00:00:25.920 into the humid heart of the Deep South. We're 00:00:25.920 --> 00:00:28.219 diving deep into Louisiana. It's a remarkable 00:00:28.219 --> 00:00:30.480 study. I mean, it's all about preservation and 00:00:30.480 --> 00:00:33.439 just contradiction. The sources you gave us, 00:00:33.460 --> 00:00:35.719 they immediately show how structurally distinct 00:00:35.719 --> 00:00:38.500 Louisiana is. We aren't just looking at a place 00:00:38.500 --> 00:00:41.140 with a unique culture. We're looking at a separate 00:00:41.140 --> 00:00:44.600 geopolitical and legal entity that has somehow 00:00:44.600 --> 00:00:47.000 managed to hold on to these foundational structures 00:00:47.000 --> 00:00:49.969 from. From its French and Spanish past. Yeah, 00:00:49.990 --> 00:00:51.490 that's what struck me right away. The uniqueness 00:00:51.490 --> 00:00:53.630 starts at the most basic level. I mean, we all 00:00:53.630 --> 00:00:55.149 think of states as being made up of counties. 00:00:55.369 --> 00:00:58.369 Right. That's the default. But not here. Louisiana 00:00:58.369 --> 00:01:01.409 has 64 administrative divisions called parishes. 00:01:01.770 --> 00:01:04.310 And when I looked into why, it's just this perfect 00:01:04.310 --> 00:01:06.510 little window into its entire history. It is. 00:01:06.549 --> 00:01:08.709 The term parish comes directly from the French 00:01:08.709 --> 00:01:12.659 word pau -was. Okay. And it reflects the... the 00:01:12.659 --> 00:01:14.939 total dominance of the Catholic Church during 00:01:14.939 --> 00:01:17.500 that colonial period. When the French and Spanish 00:01:17.500 --> 00:01:19.840 were running the territory, the local administrative 00:01:19.840 --> 00:01:22.459 unit was, it was the local church district. So 00:01:22.459 --> 00:01:24.599 they just kept the name. They just kept it. The 00:01:24.599 --> 00:01:27.900 U .S. took control. And unlike everywhere else 00:01:27.900 --> 00:01:29.500 where counties come from the secular English 00:01:29.500 --> 00:01:32.640 model, they just said, OK, parishes it is. So, 00:01:32.760 --> 00:01:36.420 OK, that's a name. But how does that French heritage, 00:01:36.599 --> 00:01:39.980 you know, really show up in a way that someone 00:01:39.980 --> 00:01:43.510 from, say, Ohio or California would just find 00:01:43.510 --> 00:01:47.469 shocking. It's in the bedrock of their law. Louisiana 00:01:47.469 --> 00:01:50.269 is the only state, the only one. The only one. 00:01:50.329 --> 00:01:52.349 Whose foundational private. So we're talking 00:01:52.349 --> 00:01:55.310 about the rules for property contracts, wills, 00:01:55.310 --> 00:01:57.230 family stuff. Not the basics. All the basics. 00:01:57.370 --> 00:01:59.790 It's not based on the English common law system 00:01:59.790 --> 00:02:02.069 that every other state inherited from Great Britain. 00:02:02.189 --> 00:02:04.209 They are the great exception. So if they don't 00:02:04.209 --> 00:02:06.400 use common law, what? What system do they use? 00:02:06.439 --> 00:02:08.219 How do you sell a house or get divorced? They 00:02:08.219 --> 00:02:10.759 use a civil law system. It's a totally different 00:02:10.759 --> 00:02:13.020 legal tradition. It comes from ancient Roman 00:02:13.020 --> 00:02:16.960 law and it was codified through French and Spanish 00:02:16.960 --> 00:02:19.939 legal codes. So it's not based on precedent on 00:02:19.939 --> 00:02:22.400 past court cases. That's the fundamental difference. 00:02:22.659 --> 00:02:24.699 Right. In the rest of the U .S., common law is 00:02:24.699 --> 00:02:28.699 all about stare decisis. What past courts have 00:02:28.699 --> 00:02:31.639 decided is binding. Right. In Louisiana, it's 00:02:31.639 --> 00:02:34.560 the opposite. The written legal code is paramount. 00:02:34.810 --> 00:02:38.270 A judge's main job isn't to sift through centuries 00:02:38.270 --> 00:02:41.669 of precedent. It's to apply the precise written 00:02:41.669 --> 00:02:44.569 language of the Louisiana Civil Code to the facts 00:02:44.569 --> 00:02:47.729 of the case. Wow. That distinction is just massive. 00:02:48.050 --> 00:02:50.210 So a lawyer from Texas would be completely lost. 00:02:50.449 --> 00:02:52.169 They'd have to relearn everything. I mean, you've 00:02:52.169 --> 00:02:54.550 got concepts like forced airship and a really 00:02:54.550 --> 00:02:56.930 strict community property framework that are 00:02:56.930 --> 00:02:59.129 just handled so differently. That sets the tone 00:02:59.129 --> 00:03:01.210 perfectly. A state just operating on its own 00:03:01.210 --> 00:03:04.259 rules. So before we get into the deep history, 00:03:04.400 --> 00:03:06.479 let's lay out some essential facts from the sources. 00:03:06.659 --> 00:03:08.840 Let's do it. Louisiana is officially the Pelican 00:03:08.840 --> 00:03:10.580 State, but it's also known as the Bayou State, 00:03:10.780 --> 00:03:14.520 the Creole State, and my favorite, the Boot. 00:03:14.680 --> 00:03:18.020 You can't miss it on a map. It's 31st in area, 00:03:18.219 --> 00:03:21.960 25th in population, with about 4 .6 million people 00:03:21.960 --> 00:03:24.889 today. The capital is Baton Rouge. But the place 00:03:24.889 --> 00:03:27.590 everyone thinks of, New Orleans, has a population 00:03:27.590 --> 00:03:31.370 of around 363 ,000. And the state motto is Union, 00:03:31.590 --> 00:03:34.889 Justice, Confidence, which it feels like it's 00:03:34.889 --> 00:03:36.889 speaking to a desire for stability in a place 00:03:36.889 --> 00:03:39.250 that's had a very, very unstable history. Absolutely. 00:03:39.349 --> 00:03:41.449 So our mission today is to trace that journey. 00:03:41.550 --> 00:03:44.310 We're going from the profound antiquity of its 00:03:44.310 --> 00:03:46.629 ancient earthwork builders, the global chess 00:03:46.629 --> 00:03:49.330 match of the Louisiana Purchase, and into this 00:03:49.330 --> 00:03:51.990 just unparalleled cultural fusion. And then we 00:03:51.990 --> 00:03:54.800 have to confront the modern paradox. This deep, 00:03:54.819 --> 00:03:57.439 rich cultural wealth set against an alarming, 00:03:57.560 --> 00:04:00.439 almost existential geographical crisis and some 00:04:00.439 --> 00:04:02.620 really severe social challenges. OK, let's start 00:04:02.620 --> 00:04:04.840 at the very beginning. Deep time. This is where 00:04:04.840 --> 00:04:06.680 it gets really interesting for me, because the 00:04:06.680 --> 00:04:09.460 history here just completely overturns what I 00:04:09.460 --> 00:04:11.870 thought I knew about early North America. It 00:04:11.870 --> 00:04:14.750 forces a total recalibration. I mean, the traditional 00:04:14.750 --> 00:04:18.430 story is that complex societies, mound building, 00:04:18.670 --> 00:04:21.649 permanent settlements, that all comes after people 00:04:21.649 --> 00:04:24.269 adopt widespread maize agriculture. Right. You 00:04:24.269 --> 00:04:26.269 need farming to support that kind of complex 00:04:26.269 --> 00:04:29.029 society. That was the assumption. Louisiana's 00:04:29.029 --> 00:04:31.430 ancient history just rips that assumption apart. 00:04:31.810 --> 00:04:34.050 So the sources talk about a site called Watson 00:04:34.050 --> 00:04:37.410 Break near Monroe. It's described as an 11 mound 00:04:37.410 --> 00:04:41.660 complex built. Get this. 5 ,400 years ago. That's 00:04:41.660 --> 00:04:44.379 around 3500 BC. Before the great pyramids in 00:04:44.379 --> 00:04:46.430 Egypt were built. That's incredible. And these 00:04:46.430 --> 00:04:48.389 people weren't farmers. No, that's the crucial 00:04:48.389 --> 00:04:50.829 point. This was built by seasonal mobile hunter 00:04:50.829 --> 00:04:53.269 -gatherers. It means they were capable of organizing 00:04:53.269 --> 00:04:56.110 the kind of complex, long -term labor needed 00:04:56.110 --> 00:04:59.310 to build massive earthworks without settled agriculture. 00:04:59.850 --> 00:05:01.870 That implies a level of social organization, 00:05:01.949 --> 00:05:04.889 of hierarchy and shared purpose we just didn't 00:05:04.889 --> 00:05:07.230 think existed back then. Absolutely. This wasn't 00:05:07.230 --> 00:05:10.110 a small, spontaneous project. This was a dedicated 00:05:10.110 --> 00:05:12.910 civic engineering effort over generations. And 00:05:12.910 --> 00:05:15.329 it only gets bigger from there. It does. A bit 00:05:15.329 --> 00:05:18.410 later, in the late archaic period, you get Poverty 00:05:18.410 --> 00:05:22.720 Point, near Epps, peaking around 1500 BC. The 00:05:22.720 --> 00:05:25.279 sources call it the largest and best known site 00:05:25.279 --> 00:05:28.860 of its kind. We're talking huge, concentric, 00:05:28.860 --> 00:05:31.860 semi -elliptical ridges and mounds. So big that 00:05:31.860 --> 00:05:33.839 archaeologists think it might be the first real 00:05:33.839 --> 00:05:36.279 tribal culture in North America. And it was a 00:05:36.279 --> 00:05:38.660 massive trade hub. The materials they found there, 00:05:38.720 --> 00:05:41.740 copper, chert, came from hundreds, even thousands 00:05:41.740 --> 00:05:45.079 of miles away. So these societies weren't isolated 00:05:45.079 --> 00:05:47.300 at all. They were incredibly connected. These 00:05:47.300 --> 00:05:50.180 sites are just these monumental reminders that 00:05:50.180 --> 00:05:51.879 the indigenous history here is so much more. 00:05:51.879 --> 00:05:54.420 more ancient and complex than the standard story 00:05:54.420 --> 00:05:57.040 allows for. Exactly. And after that archaic era, 00:05:57.100 --> 00:05:59.399 you see a gradual transition. You get the Chafunct 00:05:59.399 --> 00:06:01.439 culture, who were the first to make large amounts 00:06:01.439 --> 00:06:03.699 of pottery. Which is a big technological leap. 00:06:03.779 --> 00:06:06.360 A huge leap. And then eventually, maize agriculture 00:06:06.360 --> 00:06:08.839 does arrive, and you enter the Mississippian 00:06:08.839 --> 00:06:11.139 period. The sources highlight the Plaquemine 00:06:11.139 --> 00:06:13.480 culture, who are the direct ancestors of the 00:06:13.480 --> 00:06:16.079 historic Natchez and Tansa peoples. And up in 00:06:16.079 --> 00:06:18.860 the Northwest. You had the Caddo Mississippians. 00:06:18.939 --> 00:06:21.300 And what's really striking about the Caddo is 00:06:21.300 --> 00:06:24.660 their unbroken cultural continuity right up to 00:06:24.660 --> 00:06:26.759 the modern Caddo nation of Oklahoma. And that 00:06:26.759 --> 00:06:28.740 continuity is still on the map, isn't it? It 00:06:28.740 --> 00:06:32.040 is. So many of Louisiana's place names, Atchafalaya, 00:06:32.259 --> 00:06:36.459 Natchitoches, Houma, Caddo, they're all transliterations 00:06:36.459 --> 00:06:39.139 of Native American languages. The landscape itself 00:06:39.139 --> 00:06:41.459 still speaks their language. Okay, so now we 00:06:41.459 --> 00:06:45.550 shift from deep time to... The chaos of European 00:06:45.550 --> 00:06:47.850 claims and conflict. The first Europeans there 00:06:47.850 --> 00:06:51.209 were Spanish. Right. Panfilo de Narvaez in 1528, 00:06:51.410 --> 00:06:54.430 then Hernando de Soto in 1542. But after those 00:06:54.430 --> 00:06:57.449 early, pretty violent expeditions, Spanish interests 00:06:57.449 --> 00:07:01.439 just... It faded for over 150 years. And that 00:07:01.439 --> 00:07:03.600 created an opening. An opening the French seized. 00:07:03.839 --> 00:07:06.560 In the late 17th century, French and French -Canadian 00:07:06.560 --> 00:07:09.600 explorers led by Robert Cavalia de La Salle started 00:07:09.600 --> 00:07:12.339 pushing down the Mississippi. And in 1682, La 00:07:12.339 --> 00:07:14.459 Salle makes this incredibly audacious claim. 00:07:14.660 --> 00:07:17.360 He claims the entire Mississippi River Basin 00:07:17.360 --> 00:07:20.000 for France. The whole thing. He names it La Louisiane 00:07:20.000 --> 00:07:22.560 in honor of King Louis XIV. The name just means 00:07:22.560 --> 00:07:25.360 related to Louis. So France's goal was a huge 00:07:25.360 --> 00:07:27.839 commercial empire. Built on the fur trade and 00:07:27.839 --> 00:07:29.899 controlling the continent's central highway, 00:07:30.199 --> 00:07:33.560 they moved fast to set up key points. Fort Maurepas 00:07:33.560 --> 00:07:37.600 in 1699, then La Belize, a critical fort right 00:07:37.600 --> 00:07:39.420 at the mouth of the Mississippi. But the oldest 00:07:39.420 --> 00:07:42.360 permanent European settlement inside modern Louisiana 00:07:42.360 --> 00:07:45.540 is Nachitoches, right? 1714. And its location 00:07:45.540 --> 00:07:47.579 was no accident. It was strategically vital. 00:07:47.759 --> 00:07:50.120 It was there to establish trade with Spanish 00:07:50.120 --> 00:07:52.879 Texas and to serve as a deterrent to the Spanish 00:07:52.879 --> 00:07:55.779 moving east. The borders of New France back then 00:07:55.779 --> 00:07:58.540 were... were just, they were huge, but constantly 00:07:58.540 --> 00:08:02.240 shifting. A massive headache. By 1745, the functional 00:08:02.240 --> 00:08:05.199 northern boundary of Louisiana was basically 00:08:05.199 --> 00:08:07.959 limited to outposts like Vincennes and Peoria. 00:08:08.279 --> 00:08:10.120 It was just too vast for France to effectively 00:08:10.120 --> 00:08:12.660 control or defend. And that weakness led to the 00:08:12.660 --> 00:08:15.500 first huge transfer of power. After the Seven 00:08:15.500 --> 00:08:19.279 Years' War in 1763, France lost big. The peace 00:08:19.279 --> 00:08:21.680 terms were brutal. France had to give everything 00:08:21.680 --> 00:08:23.920 east of the Mississippi, including a chunk of 00:08:23.920 --> 00:08:25.910 Florida, to Great Britain. But there's a twist. 00:08:26.189 --> 00:08:28.569 There's always a twist with Louisiana. France 00:08:28.569 --> 00:08:30.769 had already secretly given the rest of the territory, 00:08:30.910 --> 00:08:33.389 everything west of the Mississippi, plus the 00:08:33.389 --> 00:08:35.549 all -important city of New Orleans, to Spain 00:08:35.549 --> 00:08:37.549 the year before. The Treaty of Fontainebleau. 00:08:37.669 --> 00:08:41.110 Exactly. So by 1763, France was gone, Britain 00:08:41.110 --> 00:08:43.730 had the East Bank, Spain had the West Bank, and 00:08:43.730 --> 00:08:45.750 New Orleans. But the French weren't done yet. 00:08:46.669 --> 00:08:49.649 Enter Napoleon Bonaparte. Napoleon wanted his 00:08:49.649 --> 00:08:52.590 colonial empire back. So in another secret deal, 00:08:52.850 --> 00:08:56.590 the Treaty of San Ildefonso in 1800, he reacquired 00:08:56.590 --> 00:08:59.909 Louisiana from Spain. And it was so secret that 00:08:59.909 --> 00:09:02.509 Spain's flag kept flying over New Orleans for 00:09:02.509 --> 00:09:04.750 two more years. Which sets the stage for the 00:09:04.750 --> 00:09:06.889 transaction that would literally define the American 00:09:06.889 --> 00:09:10.230 continent. Which brings us to part two, the great 00:09:10.230 --> 00:09:13.269 transaction, the Louisiana Purchase. And it seems 00:09:13.269 --> 00:09:15.330 like it was driven less by agreement and more 00:09:15.330 --> 00:09:19.090 by... Well, desperation and bad timing. What's 00:09:19.090 --> 00:09:21.129 so fascinating is that the United States wasn't 00:09:21.129 --> 00:09:22.870 looking to double its size. Their goal was much 00:09:22.870 --> 00:09:24.850 smaller, much more pragmatic. It was all about 00:09:24.850 --> 00:09:27.590 the economy. American settlers west of the Appalachians 00:09:27.590 --> 00:09:29.889 needed the Mississippi River. They were totally 00:09:29.889 --> 00:09:32.070 dependent on it. They had to ship their goods 00:09:32.070 --> 00:09:34.090 down the river and through the port of New Orleans 00:09:34.090 --> 00:09:36.610 to get them to world markets. It was their only 00:09:36.610 --> 00:09:39.269 outlet. And that necessity became a crisis in 00:09:39.269 --> 00:09:42.529 October 1802. It did. The Spanish official in 00:09:42.529 --> 00:09:44.870 charge revoked the American right of deposit 00:09:44.870 --> 00:09:47.269 in New Orleans. Meaning they couldn't store their 00:09:47.269 --> 00:09:49.289 goods there anymore. Exactly. It was an economic 00:09:49.289 --> 00:09:52.330 blockade of the entire American West. There was 00:09:52.330 --> 00:09:55.450 outrage in Washington, calls for war. But President 00:09:55.450 --> 00:09:58.590 Jefferson chose diplomacy. He authorized Robert 00:09:58.590 --> 00:10:01.029 Livingston to try and buy New Orleans for up 00:10:01.029 --> 00:10:03.990 to $10 million. Right. Meanwhile, Napoleon's 00:10:03.990 --> 00:10:07.210 focus was entirely on the Caribbean. He saw Louisiana 00:10:07.210 --> 00:10:10.269 as just a giant supply depot for his sugar islands, 00:10:10.429 --> 00:10:12.549 like Martinique. But that whole plan fell apart 00:10:12.549 --> 00:10:14.690 because of the Haitian Revolution. This is where 00:10:14.690 --> 00:10:17.740 global events just collide. The massive French 00:10:17.740 --> 00:10:20.899 army Napoleon sent to retake Haiti was utterly 00:10:20.899 --> 00:10:23.879 defeated by Haitian forces and by yellow fever. 00:10:24.080 --> 00:10:25.960 So his Caribbean dream was dead. It was dead. 00:10:26.059 --> 00:10:28.320 And he knew war with Great Britain was coming 00:10:28.320 --> 00:10:31.840 again. Suddenly, Louisiana looked like this distant, 00:10:31.960 --> 00:10:34.679 expensive, indefensible liability. So selling 00:10:34.679 --> 00:10:36.840 it would solve two problems at once. Two critical 00:10:36.840 --> 00:10:38.960 problems. It would keep it out of British hands. 00:10:39.139 --> 00:10:41.259 And more importantly, it would give him a ton 00:10:41.259 --> 00:10:44.710 of cash to fund his war against Britain. So on 00:10:44.710 --> 00:10:48.230 April 11th, 1803, the French foreign minister, 00:10:48.409 --> 00:10:51.529 Talleyrand, just shocks Livingston by offering 00:10:51.529 --> 00:10:54.549 not just New Orleans. But the entire enormous 00:10:54.549 --> 00:10:57.210 territory. Wow. Livingston and James Monroe knew 00:10:57.210 --> 00:10:59.909 this was a once in a history opportunity. They 00:10:59.909 --> 00:11:01.629 were afraid Napoleon would change his mind, so 00:11:01.629 --> 00:11:04.389 they moved fast. By April 30th, they closed the 00:11:04.389 --> 00:11:08.830 deal. 828 ,000 square miles for about $15 million. 00:11:09.330 --> 00:11:11.610 And I love the financial twist here in the source 00:11:11.610 --> 00:11:14.649 material. The U .S. paid in bonds. But Napoleon 00:11:14.649 --> 00:11:16.830 needed cash for his army. And this is just a 00:11:16.830 --> 00:11:19.490 classic moment of international finance. He immediately 00:11:19.490 --> 00:11:22.610 sold those U .S. bonds at a discount to a British 00:11:22.610 --> 00:11:25.509 bank. No way. Yes. To the Bering and Company 00:11:25.509 --> 00:11:28.129 Bank. So a British banker, Alexander Bering, 00:11:28.250 --> 00:11:30.929 handled the transaction, gathered the cash, $8 00:11:30.929 --> 00:11:33.850 .8 million in total, and delivered it to Napoleon. 00:11:34.070 --> 00:11:36.090 So the British basically financed Napoleon's 00:11:36.090 --> 00:11:39.070 war against themselves. The irony is just spectacular. 00:11:39.409 --> 00:11:41.409 It was an incredible deal for the U .S., less 00:11:41.409 --> 00:11:44.620 than three cents an acre. But it was hugely controversial 00:11:44.620 --> 00:11:46.960 at the time. The Federalists in New England were 00:11:46.960 --> 00:11:49.940 against it. Vehemently. Their public reason was 00:11:49.940 --> 00:11:52.480 that it was a worthless desert, but their real 00:11:52.480 --> 00:11:55.179 fear was political. They worried that all these 00:11:55.179 --> 00:11:57.639 new states would be created, shifting power in 00:11:57.639 --> 00:11:59.879 Congress to the West and South and away from 00:11:59.879 --> 00:12:02.419 them. But the treaty was ratified, the U .S. 00:12:02.419 --> 00:12:04.039 doubled in size overnight, and the territory 00:12:04.039 --> 00:12:07.360 of Orleans was created. And on April 30, 1812, 00:12:07.539 --> 00:12:10.480 Louisiana became the 18th state. And we should 00:12:10.480 --> 00:12:12.879 add that the Florida parishes, which had been 00:12:12.879 --> 00:12:15.580 part of Spanish West Florida, were added shortly 00:12:15.580 --> 00:12:18.039 after, completing the state's modern boundaries. 00:12:18.320 --> 00:12:20.440 But all the wealth that came with statehood was 00:12:20.440 --> 00:12:23.379 built on a profoundly dark foundation. The rapid 00:12:23.379 --> 00:12:26.159 expansion of the slave economy. Louisiana became 00:12:26.159 --> 00:12:28.539 this economic engine fueled by cotton in the 00:12:28.539 --> 00:12:31.019 north and especially sugarcane in the south. 00:12:31.159 --> 00:12:33.659 And these crops were overwhelmingly cultivated 00:12:33.659 --> 00:12:36.720 by enslaved Africans. It started almost immediately. 00:12:36.960 --> 00:12:40.200 By 1721, New Orleans' population was about half 00:12:40.200 --> 00:12:44.460 enslaved. And the French Code Noir of 1724 regulated 00:12:44.460 --> 00:12:47.419 that system, often with incredibly harsh provisions. 00:12:48.169 --> 00:12:50.529 The Spanish continued the practice. And with 00:12:50.529 --> 00:12:53.149 all the swamps and bayous, you had this persistent 00:12:53.149 --> 00:12:56.070 phenomenon of maroons communities of fugitive 00:12:56.070 --> 00:12:58.710 slaves, which was a constant challenge for the 00:12:58.710 --> 00:13:00.909 colonial authorities. And then the economy shifted 00:13:00.909 --> 00:13:04.370 again after 1807 when the U .S. banned the international 00:13:04.370 --> 00:13:07.070 slave trade. That ban just made the domestic 00:13:07.070 --> 00:13:09.710 slave market explode in value. And Louisiana 00:13:09.710 --> 00:13:12.730 was perfectly positioned. By 1840, New Orleans 00:13:12.730 --> 00:13:15.149 had the largest slave market in the United States. 00:13:15.289 --> 00:13:17.149 And that wealth made it one of the biggest and 00:13:17.149 --> 00:13:19.309 richest cities in the country. Third largest, 00:13:19.509 --> 00:13:22.230 behind only New York and Baltimore. But it was 00:13:22.230 --> 00:13:25.779 built on this forced migration. After 1807, over 00:13:25.779 --> 00:13:28.299 a million enslaved people were forcibly moved 00:13:28.299 --> 00:13:30.779 from the Upper South, like Virginia, to the Deep 00:13:30.779 --> 00:13:32.799 South. It's called the Second Middle Passage. 00:13:32.899 --> 00:13:35.700 Shamed in coffles, marched over land, or shipped 00:13:35.700 --> 00:13:37.860 down the coast to be sold in New Orleans. It's 00:13:37.860 --> 00:13:39.720 just a brutal part of the story. And at the same 00:13:39.720 --> 00:13:42.139 time, the cultural landscape was being profoundly 00:13:42.139 --> 00:13:44.639 shaped by that same Haitian Revolution. Right, 00:13:44.759 --> 00:13:47.659 the refugees. Thousands of them poured into Louisiana 00:13:47.659 --> 00:13:51.080 French planters, Creoles, and both free and enslaved 00:13:51.080 --> 00:13:54.120 Africans. This dramatically increased the city's 00:13:54.120 --> 00:13:57.000 French -speaking population and powerfully reinforced 00:13:57.000 --> 00:13:59.980 African cultural traditions. And this contributed 00:13:59.980 --> 00:14:02.940 to a very specific, very unique social class, 00:14:03.179 --> 00:14:08.379 the Creole of color. They are absolutely critical 00:14:08.379 --> 00:14:10.700 to understanding pre -Civil War New Orleans. 00:14:10.899 --> 00:14:13.179 They were often mixed race, usually descendants 00:14:13.179 --> 00:14:16.159 of French or Spanish men and African women. And 00:14:16.159 --> 00:14:18.519 they occupied this distinct social and economic 00:14:18.519 --> 00:14:21.460 space. They weren't treated like most free blacks 00:14:21.460 --> 00:14:23.500 in the rest of the South. Not at all. They owned 00:14:23.500 --> 00:14:25.360 property. Some even owned slaves themselves. 00:14:25.620 --> 00:14:27.799 They were Catholics, spoke French, and were often 00:14:27.799 --> 00:14:30.000 educated in Paris. They were a sophisticated, 00:14:30.259 --> 00:14:33.419 influential class. But all of this. This wealth, 00:14:33.500 --> 00:14:36.059 this complexity, it's all tied to slavery, which 00:14:36.059 --> 00:14:38.379 leads directly to the Civil War. It does. Louisiana 00:14:38.379 --> 00:14:41.039 was a wealthy slave state, and its planter elite 00:14:41.039 --> 00:14:43.399 had a massive economic interest in preserving 00:14:43.399 --> 00:14:47.559 the system. It seceded on January 26, 1861. And 00:14:47.559 --> 00:14:50.519 the demographics were just explosive. In 1860, 00:14:50.659 --> 00:14:53.820 47 % of the population was enslaved. Almost half 00:14:53.820 --> 00:14:56.700 the state. But the Confederacy's hold was fragile. 00:14:57.129 --> 00:14:59.649 The Union's strategy was to control the Mississippi, 00:14:59.809 --> 00:15:03.009 and they captured New Orleans in April of 1862. 00:15:03.370 --> 00:15:06.509 So really early in the war. Very early. It took 00:15:06.509 --> 00:15:08.809 the Confederacy's largest city and economic center 00:15:08.809 --> 00:15:11.750 off the board. The history here is just so layered. 00:15:11.870 --> 00:15:15.070 It's like opening a series of nested boxes, and 00:15:15.070 --> 00:15:18.009 each one has a new, distinct cultural group. 00:15:18.470 --> 00:15:21.629 Which brings us to part three, the unique cultural 00:15:21.629 --> 00:15:25.129 mosaic. This is the heart of Louisiana's identity. 00:15:25.659 --> 00:15:27.399 And we have to start with the Acadians, who are 00:15:27.399 --> 00:15:29.720 the ancestors of the Cajuns. And their story 00:15:29.720 --> 00:15:32.980 is one of massive forced displacement. They were 00:15:32.980 --> 00:15:35.120 French colonists living in what's now Canada. 00:15:35.240 --> 00:15:37.159 Right, in Acadia. After the British won the Seven 00:15:37.159 --> 00:15:39.279 Years' War, they saw the Acadians as a threat. 00:15:39.600 --> 00:15:42.559 In 1755, they demanded an unconditional oath 00:15:42.559 --> 00:15:45.500 of loyalty. Which many refused. They did. And 00:15:45.500 --> 00:15:48.200 the British responded with a policy of mass expulsion, 00:15:48.379 --> 00:15:50.659 what the Acadians call le grand dérangement, 00:15:50.779 --> 00:15:53.019 the great disturbance. So they were scattered. 00:15:53.200 --> 00:15:55.580 How did they end up in Louisiana? Thousands found 00:15:55.580 --> 00:15:58.399 refuge in the bayous and prairies of southwestern 00:15:58.399 --> 00:16:02.279 Louisiana, a region we now call Acadiana. And 00:16:02.279 --> 00:16:04.440 critically, the Spanish government, who ruled 00:16:04.440 --> 00:16:06.879 at the time, welcomed them. And there, in relative 00:16:06.879 --> 00:16:09.399 isolation, they developed this fiercely distinct 00:16:09.399 --> 00:16:13.179 rural French culture. Exactly. That's where you 00:16:13.179 --> 00:16:15.980 get the Cajun French dialect, Cajun music with 00:16:15.980 --> 00:16:18.460 the fiddle and accordion, and of course, world 00:16:18.460 --> 00:16:21.059 -famous Cajun cuisine. Okay, so that's Cajun, 00:16:21.059 --> 00:16:23.740 but we also have the term Creole, which seems... 00:16:24.139 --> 00:16:26.279 A little more complicated. It is because the 00:16:26.279 --> 00:16:29.000 definition has evolved. Originally, it just meant 00:16:29.000 --> 00:16:31.700 a colonist French or Spanish who was born in 00:16:31.700 --> 00:16:33.860 the New World. It distinguished them from European 00:16:33.860 --> 00:16:36.279 immigrants. So the elites of New Orleans. Right. 00:16:37.000 --> 00:16:39.960 But over time, especially with the Haitian influx 00:16:39.960 --> 00:16:42.279 and the rise of the genre de couleur libre, the 00:16:42.279 --> 00:16:45.399 term broadened. Today, when people say Creole 00:16:45.399 --> 00:16:48.179 culture, they usually mean that cultural amalgamation 00:16:48.179 --> 00:16:51.039 of French, Spanish, African, and Native American 00:16:51.039 --> 00:16:53.259 influences that define the New Orleans area. 00:16:53.559 --> 00:16:56.340 So Cajun is more rural Acadian, and Creole is 00:16:56.340 --> 00:16:59.539 more urban, multiracial New Orleans. That's a 00:16:59.539 --> 00:17:01.740 good way to think about it. But there's a third 00:17:01.740 --> 00:17:05.059 major and often forgotten Spanish -rooted culture. 00:17:05.630 --> 00:17:08.849 The Ileños. I'd never heard of them before reading 00:17:08.849 --> 00:17:11.210 the material. Most people haven't. They're descendants 00:17:11.210 --> 00:17:13.569 of Canary Islanders who were brought over by 00:17:13.569 --> 00:17:17.410 the Spanish crown between 1778 and 1783 to be 00:17:17.410 --> 00:17:19.910 settlers and militia members. And where did they 00:17:19.910 --> 00:17:22.369 settle? In four main communities. But what's 00:17:22.369 --> 00:17:24.789 remarkable is how the Ileños of the San Bernardo 00:17:24.789 --> 00:17:27.609 community, southeast of New Orleans, managed 00:17:27.609 --> 00:17:30.109 to preserve their unique culture and language, 00:17:30.329 --> 00:17:33.609 a kind of 18th century Spanish dialect, well 00:17:33.609 --> 00:17:36.490 into the 21st century because they were so isolated. 00:17:36.750 --> 00:17:38.869 in the marshlands. And they still celebrate that 00:17:38.869 --> 00:17:41.190 heritage today with a festival. They do, the 00:17:41.190 --> 00:17:43.509 Fiesta de los Cisleños. It's a focal point for 00:17:43.509 --> 00:17:45.390 preserving that fragile linguistic survival. 00:17:45.789 --> 00:17:49.309 This inherent multiculturalism is, thankfully, 00:17:49.450 --> 00:17:51.890 now protected by this state constitution. It 00:17:51.890 --> 00:17:54.630 is, but only after a really rough period of linguistic 00:17:54.630 --> 00:17:58.109 suppression. In 1921, the state mandated English 00:17:58.109 --> 00:18:00.490 as the sole language of instruction in schools. 00:18:00.789 --> 00:18:03.609 Which must have done huge damage. Devastating 00:18:03.609 --> 00:18:06.089 damage to French, Spanish, and native languages. 00:18:06.690 --> 00:18:09.430 Fortunately, a policy of multilingualism was 00:18:09.430 --> 00:18:12.910 revived in 1974, and the Constitution now explicitly 00:18:12.910 --> 00:18:15.569 protects the right of people to preserve their 00:18:15.569 --> 00:18:18.170 cultural and linguistic origins. Okay, moving 00:18:18.170 --> 00:18:20.809 into the post -Civil War era, the story becomes 00:18:20.809 --> 00:18:23.289 one of political upheaval, then reconstruction, 00:18:23.670 --> 00:18:27.039 and then this just... devastating reversal of 00:18:27.039 --> 00:18:29.420 civil rights. The Reconstruction era was brief, 00:18:29.559 --> 00:18:32.039 but there was real progress. Louisiana had the 00:18:32.039 --> 00:18:34.079 first and second black governors in U .S. history. 00:18:34.339 --> 00:18:36.859 Oscar Dunn and PBS pinch back. But the conservative 00:18:36.859 --> 00:18:39.799 white planter class. Organized a vicious counter 00:18:39.799 --> 00:18:41.960 -revolution. And the main weapon they used was 00:18:41.960 --> 00:18:45.079 the 1898 state constitution. They implemented 00:18:45.079 --> 00:18:47.519 poll taxes, property qualifications, and these 00:18:47.519 --> 00:18:49.960 highly subjective literacy tests designed to 00:18:49.960 --> 00:18:51.980 eliminate the black vote entirely. And the numbers 00:18:51.980 --> 00:18:55.200 are just staggering. They are. In 1896, before 00:18:55.200 --> 00:18:58.019 the new constitution, there were over 130 ,000 00:18:58.019 --> 00:19:00.839 registered black voters. Okay. By 1900, that 00:19:00.839 --> 00:19:03.799 number had dropped to just over 5 ,000. By 1910, 00:19:03.859 --> 00:19:06.799 only 730 black men were registered, less than 00:19:06.799 --> 00:19:09.190 half a percent. they systematically dismantled 00:19:09.190 --> 00:19:11.509 the political system and this political terror 00:19:12.000 --> 00:19:14.180 Combined with Jim Crow violence and economic 00:19:14.180 --> 00:19:17.640 changes, it fueled the Great Migration. Exactly. 00:19:17.640 --> 00:19:20.599 From the 1910s through the 1970s, African -Americans 00:19:20.599 --> 00:19:23.660 left Louisiana in huge numbers, seeking safety 00:19:23.660 --> 00:19:26.180 and jobs in northern and western cities. The 00:19:26.180 --> 00:19:28.799 state's black population fell from 47 percent 00:19:28.799 --> 00:19:33.240 in 1900 to 32 percent by 1960. Now, during this 00:19:33.240 --> 00:19:35.400 mid -century period, the state's politics were 00:19:35.400 --> 00:19:38.180 dominated by the very colorful and controversial 00:19:38.180 --> 00:19:41.559 figure of Huey Long. The kingfish. He rose to 00:19:41.559 --> 00:19:44.019 power in the late 20s and early 30s on a populist 00:19:44.019 --> 00:19:46.759 share our wealth platform. He built roads, bridges, 00:19:46.900 --> 00:19:50.039 gave out free textbooks. He genuinely modernized 00:19:50.039 --> 00:19:52.420 the state's infrastructure. But his methods were. 00:19:53.319 --> 00:19:56.200 He ruled like an autocrat. He used patronage, 00:19:56.200 --> 00:19:58.420 intimidation, and sometimes outright corruption 00:19:58.420 --> 00:20:00.660 to get his way. He had total control. And then 00:20:00.660 --> 00:20:02.480 his reign was cut short when he was assassinated 00:20:02.480 --> 00:20:04.920 in the state capitol building in 1935. Even after 00:20:04.920 --> 00:20:07.079 World War II, as the civil rights movement gained 00:20:07.079 --> 00:20:09.660 steam nationally, resistance in Louisiana was 00:20:09.660 --> 00:20:12.960 incredibly fierce. It was. The state even created 00:20:12.960 --> 00:20:15.079 something called the Louisiana State Sovereignty 00:20:15.079 --> 00:20:17.960 Commission in 1960. It was an official government 00:20:17.960 --> 00:20:21.019 body whose job was to investigate civil rights 00:20:21.019 --> 00:20:23.740 activists and find ways to maintain segregation. 00:20:23.859 --> 00:20:27.579 But the sources bring up a really critical, often 00:20:27.579 --> 00:20:29.880 overlooked part of the struggle that I think 00:20:29.880 --> 00:20:32.619 needs more attention. The role of armed self 00:20:32.619 --> 00:20:35.119 -defense. This is a vital counter narrative. 00:20:35.680 --> 00:20:38.799 In the mid -60s, violent attacks on civil rights 00:20:38.799 --> 00:20:41.440 workers were common. So in response, you see 00:20:41.440 --> 00:20:43.819 the founding of the Deacons for Defense and Justice 00:20:43.819 --> 00:20:46.440 in Jonesboro and Bogalusa. Who were the deacons? 00:20:46.619 --> 00:20:49.160 They were local black men, many of them veterans 00:20:49.160 --> 00:20:51.680 of World War II and the Korean War. They were 00:20:51.680 --> 00:20:54.339 skilled with firearms. Their mission was explicitly 00:20:54.339 --> 00:20:57.339 to organize and protect activists and their families 00:20:57.339 --> 00:21:00.160 from Klan violence. They publicly carried arms 00:21:00.160 --> 00:21:02.299 and escorted protesters. They were protectors. 00:21:02.460 --> 00:21:05.049 A remarkable story of courage. But now we have 00:21:05.049 --> 00:21:07.210 to shift gears completely to the overwhelming 00:21:07.210 --> 00:21:09.910 physical reality of Louisiana, its fragile landscape, 00:21:10.130 --> 00:21:12.710 which is facing an existential crisis that threatens 00:21:12.710 --> 00:21:15.789 to wash this entire cultural mosaic away. This 00:21:15.789 --> 00:21:18.809 is the ultimate connection point. The state is 00:21:18.809 --> 00:21:21.150 fundamentally defined by the Mississippi River. 00:21:22.170 --> 00:21:24.750 Geographically, you have the stable upland hills 00:21:24.750 --> 00:21:27.849 in the north and then the low alluvial region 00:21:27.849 --> 00:21:30.930 in the south, the coastal marsh, the swamp, the 00:21:30.930 --> 00:21:34.319 delta. A state built on water. The Mississippi 00:21:34.319 --> 00:21:37.299 flows 600 miles through it. And you have thousands 00:21:37.299 --> 00:21:40.000 of miles of other navigable waterways, rivers, 00:21:40.119 --> 00:21:42.420 and of course the countless bayous. And geologically, 00:21:42.480 --> 00:21:44.700 that whole southern half of the state is incredibly 00:21:44.700 --> 00:21:47.140 young. It's brand new, geologically speaking. 00:21:47.259 --> 00:21:49.720 It was all built in the last 12 ,000 years by 00:21:49.720 --> 00:21:51.660 the massive sediment loads of the Mississippi 00:21:51.660 --> 00:21:55.039 deposited in a series of shifting delta lobes. 00:21:55.240 --> 00:21:58.420 The land is basically just compacted silt. And 00:21:58.420 --> 00:22:00.380 you can't talk about Gulf Coast geology without 00:22:00.380 --> 00:22:02.549 talking about the salt domes. These are incredible 00:22:02.549 --> 00:22:05.470 formations like Avery Island. They're relics 00:22:05.470 --> 00:22:07.690 from when the early Gulf of Mexico evaporated, 00:22:07.710 --> 00:22:10.789 leaving behind huge salt deposits. Over millions 00:22:10.789 --> 00:22:13.289 of years, that buoyant salt was forced upward 00:22:13.289 --> 00:22:15.369 through the heavier sediments, creating these 00:22:15.369 --> 00:22:17.890 domes. And they're incredibly valuable. Immensely. 00:22:18.009 --> 00:22:20.480 They're mined for salt. But more importantly, 00:22:20.779 --> 00:22:23.740 their structure traps vast reservoirs of oil 00:22:23.740 --> 00:22:26.480 and natural gas. They're central to the state's 00:22:26.480 --> 00:22:28.720 economy. But the very forces that build this 00:22:28.720 --> 00:22:31.160 landscape are now reversing, leading to what 00:22:31.160 --> 00:22:32.960 might be the greatest environmental disaster 00:22:32.960 --> 00:22:36.039 in any U .S. state. The southern coast of Louisiana 00:22:36.039 --> 00:22:38.299 is one of the fastest disappearing landmasses 00:22:38.299 --> 00:22:41.799 on the planet. The rate of loss is just, it's 00:22:41.799 --> 00:22:44.140 hard to comprehend. The statistic from the source 00:22:44.140 --> 00:22:46.819 material is that the state is losing a landmass 00:22:46.819 --> 00:22:50.200 equivalent to 30 football fields, Every single 00:22:50.200 --> 00:22:52.299 day. Every day. And it's a tragedy of our own 00:22:52.299 --> 00:22:54.740 making, really. Historically, the river would 00:22:54.740 --> 00:22:57.160 flood and deposit sediment, rebuilding the land. 00:22:57.839 --> 00:23:00.319 But we stopped that with levees. We did. The 00:23:00.319 --> 00:23:02.859 massive artificial levees built since the 1920s 00:23:02.859 --> 00:23:05.339 to control flooding now funnel all that crucial 00:23:05.339 --> 00:23:07.240 sediment straight out into the Gulf of Mexico. 00:23:07.440 --> 00:23:09.700 The land is no longer being replenished. And 00:23:09.700 --> 00:23:11.660 then you add in the oil and gas industry. Exactly. 00:23:12.119 --> 00:23:14.819 Thousands of miles of canals were dredged through 00:23:14.819 --> 00:23:17.559 the marsh for pipelines and access. These canals 00:23:17.559 --> 00:23:19.759 act as superhighways for saltwater to get in. 00:23:19.859 --> 00:23:21.619 And the saltwater kills the freshwater marsh 00:23:21.619 --> 00:23:24.470 plants. Whose roots hold the land together so 00:23:24.470 --> 00:23:27.230 the land just collapses and sinks and then global 00:23:27.230 --> 00:23:29.869 sea level rise comes in and finishes the job. 00:23:29.990 --> 00:23:32.430 And the state spends a billion dollars a year 00:23:32.430 --> 00:23:35.329 trying to fight this. Around a billion, yes. 00:23:36.039 --> 00:23:38.160 through massive diversion projects and barrier 00:23:38.160 --> 00:23:40.839 island restoration. But it's an overwhelming 00:23:40.839 --> 00:23:43.839 battle, and losing those wetlands devastates 00:23:43.839 --> 00:23:46.200 the coastal fishing industry and exposes the 00:23:46.200 --> 00:23:48.660 coast to the full force of hurricanes. Not to 00:23:48.660 --> 00:23:51.900 mention the Gulf's notorious dead zone from all 00:23:51.900 --> 00:23:54.180 the agricultural runoff coming down the Mississippi. 00:23:54.400 --> 00:23:56.480 The largest in the U .S., it's an environmental 00:23:56.480 --> 00:23:59.259 crisis on every level. Let's talk about the climate. 00:23:59.799 --> 00:24:02.339 It's defined by that suffocating humidity, right? 00:24:02.519 --> 00:24:05.420 Humid subtropical. Summers are long, hot, and 00:24:05.420 --> 00:24:08.440 intensely humid. Highs in the 90s, lows often 00:24:08.440 --> 00:24:10.980 not dropping below 70. But it's the dew point 00:24:10.980 --> 00:24:13.019 that really gets you. That's the thing. The combination 00:24:13.019 --> 00:24:15.559 of high heat and high dew points means the feels 00:24:15.559 --> 00:24:17.900 -like temperature, the heat index, can easily 00:24:17.900 --> 00:24:21.299 top 120 degrees. The sources called it a thick, 00:24:21.359 --> 00:24:24.220 jungle -like heat. And that's perfect. Which 00:24:24.220 --> 00:24:25.839 makes it a breeding ground for extreme weather. 00:24:26.099 --> 00:24:29.210 Over 60 days of thunderstorms a year. Second 00:24:29.210 --> 00:24:31.269 only to Florida. It's in Dixie Alley, so it gets 00:24:31.269 --> 00:24:34.009 these dangerous, often rain -wrapped tornadoes. 00:24:34.029 --> 00:24:36.630 And, of course, the hurricanes. Everyone remembers 00:24:36.630 --> 00:24:40.009 Katrina in 2005. Catastrophic levee failures. 00:24:40.309 --> 00:24:43.230 Over 80 % of New Orleans flooded. But it's not 00:24:43.230 --> 00:24:46.630 just the big -name storms. In 2016, an unnamed 00:24:46.630 --> 00:24:49.069 storm dumped three times as much rain as Katrina 00:24:49.069 --> 00:24:52.809 over southern Louisiana, damaging 110 ,000 homes. 00:24:53.150 --> 00:24:55.630 The vulnerability is constant. Constant and varied. 00:24:55.970 --> 00:24:58.339 The scale of that environmental challenge. makes 00:24:58.339 --> 00:25:01.460 for a perfect bridge to our next section. How 00:25:01.460 --> 00:25:03.559 does Louisiana even govern itself to handle all 00:25:03.559 --> 00:25:06.579 this? So let's move to part five and look at 00:25:06.579 --> 00:25:08.599 how the state operates, starting with that unique 00:25:08.599 --> 00:25:11.380 legal structure. So the 64 parishes, which are 00:25:11.380 --> 00:25:13.480 like counties, are usually governed by a body 00:25:13.480 --> 00:25:16.990 with a great name, the police jury. Another French 00:25:16.990 --> 00:25:19.609 holdover. Absolutely. It acts as both the legislative 00:25:19.609 --> 00:25:22.430 and executive government for most parishes. But 00:25:22.430 --> 00:25:24.789 the real legal curiosity is still that civil 00:25:24.789 --> 00:25:26.990 law system. Right. It's not the Napoleonic Code, 00:25:27.109 --> 00:25:29.210 but it's derived from French and Spanish law. 00:25:29.480 --> 00:25:32.859 Exactly. It's Louisiana's own continuously revised 00:25:32.859 --> 00:25:36.339 civil code first created in 1808. And it affects 00:25:36.339 --> 00:25:39.380 everything, even family law concepts like Louisiana 00:25:39.380 --> 00:25:41.740 being the first state to offer a covenant marriage 00:25:41.740 --> 00:25:44.359 option, which makes divorce much more difficult. 00:25:44.740 --> 00:25:46.859 Politically, they also do things differently 00:25:46.859 --> 00:25:49.339 with that jungle primary. How does that work 00:25:49.339 --> 00:25:51.980 again? It's a nonpartisan blanket primary. All 00:25:51.980 --> 00:25:54.279 candidates, regardless of party, run together 00:25:54.279 --> 00:25:56.980 on one ballot. If someone gets over 50 percent, 00:25:57.079 --> 00:26:00.500 they win. If not, the top two vote -getters who 00:26:00.500 --> 00:26:02.740 could be from the same party go to a runoff. 00:26:03.000 --> 00:26:05.869 That seems designed for volatility. It can be. 00:26:05.950 --> 00:26:08.529 For decades after disenfranchisement, Louisiana 00:26:08.529 --> 00:26:11.470 was a one party Democratic state. But in the 00:26:11.470 --> 00:26:13.589 modern era, you've seen this massive political 00:26:13.589 --> 00:26:16.269 shift. You're a red state. To a reliable Republican 00:26:16.269 --> 00:26:19.210 stronghold in the 21st century. But that jungle 00:26:19.210 --> 00:26:21.529 primary system means candidates often still have 00:26:21.529 --> 00:26:23.990 to build coalitions and appeal across party lines 00:26:23.990 --> 00:26:26.170 to win a runoff. OK, let's turn to education 00:26:26.170 --> 00:26:29.230 and the economy. The state faces some steep challenges, 00:26:29.490 --> 00:26:31.829 ranked the third least educated in the country. 00:26:32.190 --> 00:26:34.970 It does. But despite that, it has a really strong 00:26:34.970 --> 00:26:37.890 higher education system. You have the huge LSU 00:26:37.890 --> 00:26:41.049 system in Baton Rouge and highly regarded private 00:26:41.049 --> 00:26:43.470 universities like Tulane in New Orleans. And 00:26:43.470 --> 00:26:45.210 the University of Louisiana at Lafayette has 00:26:45.210 --> 00:26:48.930 achieved this special research status. Yes, R1 00:26:48.930 --> 00:26:51.150 status. That's the highest classification for 00:26:51.150 --> 00:26:53.369 research activity. It means it's a major hub 00:26:53.369 --> 00:26:56.109 for doctoral programs and cutting edge scientific 00:26:56.109 --> 00:26:58.890 research, which is a huge deal for the state's 00:26:58.890 --> 00:27:01.859 economy. And we can't forget. the vital role 00:27:01.859 --> 00:27:04.279 of the historically black colleges and universities. 00:27:04.680 --> 00:27:06.680 Never. Institutions like Southern University 00:27:06.680 --> 00:27:09.440 and Grambling State are famous for their academics 00:27:09.440 --> 00:27:12.039 and, of course, their annual Bayou Classic football 00:27:12.039 --> 00:27:14.759 rivalry. Okay, let's unpack the economy. Because 00:27:14.759 --> 00:27:17.700 despite all the challenges, Louisiana is an absolute 00:27:17.700 --> 00:27:20.819 shipping powerhouse. It's a critical artery. 00:27:21.039 --> 00:27:23.519 The port of South Louisiana between New Orleans 00:27:23.519 --> 00:27:26.200 and Baton Rouge is just gargantuan. It's the 00:27:26.200 --> 00:27:28.859 largest volume shipping port in the Western Hemisphere, 00:27:29.039 --> 00:27:32.259 mostly handling bulk goods like grain, coal and 00:27:32.259 --> 00:27:34.369 oil. And beyond shipping, you have oil and gas 00:27:34.369 --> 00:27:36.609 and also some really specialized products. Right. 00:27:36.769 --> 00:27:39.230 It's the world's largest crawfish producer, about 00:27:39.230 --> 00:27:42.349 90 percent of the global supply. And as a great 00:27:42.349 --> 00:27:44.509 little anecdote, Tabasco sauce comes from Avery 00:27:44.509 --> 00:27:46.630 Island, one of those salt domes we talked about 00:27:46.630 --> 00:27:48.990 earlier. Plus the film industry, Hollywood South. 00:27:49.190 --> 00:27:51.849 State tax incentives have made it a huge hub 00:27:51.849 --> 00:27:54.309 for film and TV production. But even with all 00:27:54.309 --> 00:27:57.150 that, the state struggles with income and relies 00:27:57.150 --> 00:27:59.900 heavily on federal money. It consistently ranks 00:27:59.900 --> 00:28:02.900 low in median household income, and it is what's 00:28:02.900 --> 00:28:06.039 called a subsidized state. We found data showing 00:28:06.039 --> 00:28:10.039 it received $1 .78 in federal funding for every 00:28:10.039 --> 00:28:12.660 dollar of federal tax it paid, partly because 00:28:12.660 --> 00:28:15.019 of the massive costs of disaster recovery. Which 00:28:15.019 --> 00:28:17.480 brings us to the final sobering set of challenges. 00:28:18.160 --> 00:28:20.279 Louisiana's persistent struggles with just... 00:28:20.869 --> 00:28:23.670 Terrible social metrics. This is the final profound 00:28:23.670 --> 00:28:26.009 contradiction of the state. It was ranked the 00:28:26.009 --> 00:28:28.849 least healthy state in the U .S. in 2018. It 00:28:28.849 --> 00:28:30.750 has had the highest homicide rate in the country 00:28:30.750 --> 00:28:33.769 since the 1990s. And it's also been ranked as 00:28:33.769 --> 00:28:35.910 one of the most politically corrupt states. And 00:28:35.910 --> 00:28:38.509 the incarceration rate. That number from the 00:28:38.509 --> 00:28:40.230 source material is the most shocking of all. 00:28:40.539 --> 00:28:43.000 It's a profound crisis. Louisiana is known as 00:28:43.000 --> 00:28:45.200 the prison capital of the world. Its incarceration 00:28:45.200 --> 00:28:48.160 rate is five times that of Iran. Many of the 00:28:48.160 --> 00:28:50.700 facilities are for profit or sheriff owned. It 00:28:50.700 --> 00:28:53.380 points to this deep institutional crisis of justice, 00:28:53.640 --> 00:28:57.940 poverty and policy. Wow. This has been a journey. 00:28:58.250 --> 00:29:00.269 From the oldest mounds in North America that 00:29:00.269 --> 00:29:03.309 rewrote archaeology to a legal system from ancient 00:29:03.309 --> 00:29:06.289 Rome through explosive growth and into these 00:29:06.289 --> 00:29:09.609 almost insurmountable modern crises. It really 00:29:09.609 --> 00:29:11.990 confirms that Louisiana is exceptional. It's 00:29:11.990 --> 00:29:13.990 a state that has fiercely protected its heritage, 00:29:14.210 --> 00:29:16.430 its parishes, its civil law, its unique cultures, 00:29:16.549 --> 00:29:19.470 and it's a vital economic engine. But all that 00:29:19.470 --> 00:29:21.930 irreplaceable cultural wealth is set against 00:29:21.930 --> 00:29:24.930 these overwhelming existential threats. A coastline 00:29:24.930 --> 00:29:27.730 disappearing at 30 football fields a day. coupled 00:29:27.730 --> 00:29:30.150 with these crushing social problems. It's like 00:29:30.150 --> 00:29:32.150 the state is battling itself while it's battling 00:29:32.150 --> 00:29:34.150 the sea. So what does this all mean for you, 00:29:34.269 --> 00:29:36.589 the listener? The story of Louisiana is this 00:29:36.589 --> 00:29:39.269 ultimate paradox of resilience versus retreat. 00:29:39.450 --> 00:29:41.490 You have a culture that has survived mass expulsion, 00:29:41.569 --> 00:29:44.950 revolution, and suppression. And yet it now faces 00:29:44.950 --> 00:29:48.829 this relentless siege from nature, a siege we 00:29:48.829 --> 00:29:51.730 helped create by blocking the sediment and raising 00:29:51.730 --> 00:29:53.950 the sea levels. And coastal protection costs 00:29:53.950 --> 00:29:56.269 billions every year, and the land keeps disappearing. 00:29:57.069 --> 00:29:59.089 So the final provocative question we want to 00:29:59.089 --> 00:30:02.390 leave you with is this. Given that so many of 00:30:02.390 --> 00:30:05.289 Louisiana's unique, irreplaceable cultural centers 00:30:05.289 --> 00:30:08.190 are in the most threatened lowlands, how long 00:30:08.190 --> 00:30:10.990 can human ingenuity and fierce cultural loyalty 00:30:10.990 --> 00:30:14.410 hold back the tide? At what point must the resilience 00:30:14.410 --> 00:30:17.170 of its people finally give way to the unyielding 00:30:17.170 --> 00:30:19.950 demands of a disappearing natural world? Consider 00:30:19.950 --> 00:30:22.190 the ultimate cost of preserving a landscape that 00:30:22.190 --> 00:30:24.730 is actively retreating. That is a very profound 00:30:24.730 --> 00:30:27.319 thought to end on. Thank you for joining us for 00:30:27.319 --> 00:30:30.019 this deep dive into the complex, beautiful, and 00:30:30.019 --> 00:30:32.319 threatened world of Louisiana. We hope you feel 00:30:32.319 --> 00:30:34.480 thoroughly well informed. And ready to look closer 00:30:34.480 --> 00:30:36.420 at the world around you. Join us next time for 00:30:36.420 --> 00:30:37.119 another deep dive.