Tales of Cajuns, Creoles, and New Orleans decadence dominate
both popular and professional impressions of Louisiana and have
undoubtedly distracted attention from the region that arguably
experienced the most dramatic pattern of development in Louisiana,
if not the entire Gulf South. Louisiana's Florida Parishes, located
in the southeastern part of the state, have endured a tumultuous
evolution, including domination by every major power that invaded
North America, exclusion from the Louisiana Purchase, insurrection
and the establishment of the original Lone Star Republic, and some
of the highest rates of rural homicide recorded in American
history. The area was long neglected by scholars until some of its
foremost experts came together to explore and recognize its
singular identity. This volume is a result of that collaboration
and consists of ten essays on the history and culture of this
unique territory.
In tracing the progress of Louisiana's Florida Parishes, the
book begins with an eye-opening ethnographic history of the
territory during its days as a French colony, the brief era of
British rule, and slavery as it was practiced under the Spanish
regime. A revealing look at the region during the War of 1812
provides a dynamic account of the only major naval battle in the
South during that conflict. Subsequent essays give lucid and
insightful examination to the area's guerrilla tactics during the
Civil War, credit crisis of the postbellum era, and ecological
transformation through pine forest harvesting. The final third of
the book considers the demographic changes wrought by black labor
employed in the lumber mills of the early twentieth century, the
challenges confronting a rural, depression-era black community, and
recent environmental changes in the parishes that impact ongoing
economic development.
A Fierce and Fractious Frontier employs a comprehensive approach
supported by provocative groundbreaking research to explain the
difficulties of the past and suggest considerations for the future
of Louisiana's Florida Parishes. It will stand as a model for the
emerging field of southern subregional studies.
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