A comprehensive study of all nineteenth-century New Orleans composers is far beyond the scope of this paper. There are simply too many. An attempt has been made, however, to include as many possible in the text. Others, about whom there is insufficient information to include in a narrative, have been relegated to the appendix, where they are treated in the style of a biographical dictionary. The two most important and influential composers of the century, Gregorion Curto and Theodore von La Hache, are covered individually in chapters two and three, respectively. Their music represents all three of the important aspects of composition of the era: opera, salon, and sacred music. Louis Moreau Gottschalk, probably the most famous composer and performer of the period, has been omitted from this study (other than incidental references) because he has already received considerable attention from numerous other researchers. Likewise, another composer of note, Ernest Guiraud, has been omitted because, even though a native of New Orleans, he left America at an early age and never returned. He should more appropriately be considered in annals of French music. Research in this field, a vital part of the American musical heritage, is by no means complete. Any one of the composers discussed here should be studied further with th purpose of advancing knowledge of New Orleans music and with the hope of uncovering a morsel of truly fine music.

The uniqueness of Samuel Wilson, Jr.’s (born 1911) career is studied in terms of practicing architect, scholar, and civic leader. The author was motived by the void in architectural literature about the people who have saved our architectural heritage. The introduction explains the purpose of the dissertation to determine, analyse, and interpret Wilson’s contributions, beginning in 1934. The search began with oral histories taken from Wilson and some of his peers. Archival research was conducted in the Tulane University Library and The Historic New Orleans Collection. Chapter 1 gives biographical information on Wilson, and background on New Orleans and the Vieux Carré (French Quarter) in the 1920s when Wilson entered Tulane University (1927). Nathaniel Cortlandt Curtis [Sr.], Moise Goldstein, and Richard Koch, the trio of architects who influenced Wilson, are introduced. Chapter 2 is devoted to the experiences that moved Wilson in the direction of historic buildings, the Historic American Buildings Survey (1934) and a scholarship to Europe (1938). Chapter 3 presents Wilson’s mentor, Richard Koch, a pioneer in adaptive reuse and new design in an historic environment. Wilson carried his mentor’s concepts further and into the realm of scholarly pursuit. Along with publishing and teaching, Wilson was a driving force in the institutionalization of preservation in New Orleans. His election as founding president of Louisiana Landmarks Society (1950) is the beginning of his leadership role for the next twenty years. Chapter 4 deals with Wilson’s projects in the post World War II era of new construction in the Vieux Carré and central city, and how he guided change by the use of historicism. Chapter 5 discusses, through Wilson’s projects, the critical preservation issues of the 1950s and 1960s. It was an era of problem solving without precedent guidelines. Chapter 6 summarizes Wilson’s contributions from his field accomplishments and the creation of a new body of knowledge to his activities in national preservation policy. The appendixes form a catalog of Wilson’s work: historic projects; literary works; drawings; TV programs, audio and audio—visual recordings; honors and awards; translation of a specification for a colonial horse-and-wind mill; and four walking tours. There are 154 illustrations. / Ph. D.

Master of Landscape Architecture / Department of Landscape Architecture/Regional and Community Planning / Timothy D. Keane / Urbanization has lead to environmental degradation in most of the world’s great cities. With the degradation of natural systems comes a reliance on man-made and engineered systems to perform functions vital to cities such as water treatment, the filtering of pollutants, flood mitigation, temperature control, and erosion prevention; functions formerly performed by natural systems. Relying on man-made operations to perform essential services comes at a cost, both in terms of monetary costs and in the resources needed to construct and operate them. New Orleans is a prime example of a city that has greatly altered the ecosystems that formerly existed on the site and has had to rely on human engineering for its survival. Instead of the mosaic of freshwater marshes, wooded swamps, wet meadows, and bottomland forests that once comprised New Orleans and allowed for the diffusion, evaporation, and infiltration of floodwater; present day New Orleans has had to rely on a system of levees and pumps to keep the City dry. These pumps and levees have allowed New Orleans to expand and prosper but failures in the flood control system have also lead to great disasters, Hurricane Katrina and the related flood in 2004 being the latest. Implementing permaculture designs to New Orleans will buffer the City from the effects of hurricanes and flooding and decrease its reliance on city services. These permaculture designs recreate key elements of the natural systems that formerly existed in New Orleans and attempt to again create spaces in the City were stormwater can safely be detained without damaging property and that allow the stormwater to infiltrate into the soil. At the same time these permaculture designs would enhance the character and uniqueness that makes New Orleans one of the world’s great cities.

This professional report addresses 1) where urban agriculture is developing in cities and why; 2) the primary constraints affecting the development of long-term commercial urban farm operations within the boundaries of large metropolitan cities; and 3) how cities are planning and creating policies for commercial urban agriculture under different environmental, economic, and land-use constraints. Using case studies from Austin, Texas and New Orleans, Louisiana, I address these questions through a qualitative analysis of current efforts to reform land use policies for urban farming, existing literature, and interviews with practitioners, farmers, policy makers, and planners. The history and context of each case study is addressed, honing in on specific environmental, social, regulatory, economic, and land use barriers to commercial urban farming. / text

This thesis examines the issue of Texas annexation from the viewpoints of two southern cities: Richmond, Virginia, and New Orleans, Louisiana. It looks primarily at four major newspapers, two in each city: the Richmond Enquirer and the Richmond Whig; and the New Orleans Times-Picayune and the New Orleans Whig. These four newspapers were examined thoroughly from January 1844 to July 1845. In addition to the above newspapers, the Congressional Globe and national voting patterns on Texas annexation were examined. Analysis of the editorial articles in the above newspapers offers the best possibility of understanding public sentiment toward Texas annexation and the presidential election of 1844. The evidence examined in this study indicates that Texas annexation became a decisive issue in the presidential election of 1844. It also shows that, although the press and elements within both Democratic and Whig parties were aware that the slavery question was intricately linked to the Texas annexation issue, slavery and sectional politics were not the primary factors influencing annexation. Ultimately, fundamental concerns regarding western expansion in general, especially for the Whigs, and political party loyalty proved the decisive factors in the presidential election of 1844 and Texas annexation. The evidence gathered in this study indicates that Texas annexation deliberately became an issue in the presidential election by the Democratic party. It also shows that although consideration was given to the slavery question by elements of both the Whig and Democratic parties, sectional politics did not enter into play concerning the annexation of Texas.

This thesis explores childhood, relationships, teaching, and god.

Intitulée « À la rencontre de deux mondes : les esclaves de Louisiane et l’Église catholique, 1803-1845 », cette thèse vise à reconstituer l’histoire et l’évolution de l’afro-catholicisme en Louisiane dans la première moitié du XIXe siècle, tant en milieu urbain − avec la ville de la Nouvelle-Orléans comme toile de fond − qu’en milieu rural, en prenant la paroisse Saint-Jean-Baptiste comme étude de cas. L’étude débute en 1803, date à laquelle la Louisiane devient une possession américaine, et se termine en 1845, trois ans après la fondation à la Nouvelle-Orléans de l’Église Saint-Augustine, emblème de la religion des Noirs libres et des esclaves, et de la communauté des Sœurs de la Sainte-Famille, un ordre religieux propre aux femmes de couleur libres. La Louisiane de la première moitié du XIXe siècle représente ainsi le théâtre parfait pour étudier la rencontre entre catholicisme et esclavage et pour mettre en lumière les prémisses de la construction d’un afro-catholicisme distinct. Bien que de nombreuses études aient porté sur l’histoire de l’esclavage en Louisiane, le monde des esclaves et de leurs pratiques religieuses nous échappe encore en grande partie. Partir à la découverte de la culture religieuse des esclaves du Sud américain représente donc un défi historiographique qui permet d’affiner nos connaissances à la fois sur une période très trouble de l’histoire américaine − celle de l’esclavage −, sur des acteurs plutôt méconnus − les esclaves catholiques −, et sur une région qui se distingue des autres États américains. En fait, de par ses racines franco-hispaniques et son caractère catholique, la Louisiane apparaît comme une entité unique au sein des États-Unis d’Amérique, majoritairement de culture anglo-protestante. / Entitled « When Two Worlds Meet : Louisiana Slaves and the Catholic Church, 1803-1845 », this dissertation aims to reconstruct the history and the evolution of Afro-Catholicism in Louisiana in the early nineteenth century, both in urban areas, with the city of New Orleans as a backdrop, and rural areas, with the parish of St. John the Baptist as a case study. It begins in 1803, when Louisiana became an American possession, and ends in 1845, three years after the founding in New Orleans of the St. Augustine Church, the emblem of the religion of free blacks and slaves, and of the Sisters of the Holy Family, a religious order for free women of color. Early nineteenth-century Louisiana is the perfect theater to explore the encounter between Catholicism and slavery and to perceive the construction process of a distinct Afro-Catholicism. Although many studies focus on the history of slavery in Louisiana, the world of the slaves and of their religious practices is still largely elusive. Exploring the religious culture of the slaves in the American South represents a historiographical challenge that help refine our knowledge of a troubled time in American history – the era of slavery–, of largely unknown actors– Catholic slaves –, and of an area totally different from the rest of the United States. In fact, because of its Franco-Hispanic roots and its Catholic character, Louisiana appears as a single entity within the United States of America, predominantly Anglo-Protestant.

This paper demonstrates the overall success of bringing non-traditional audiences to a New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA) exhibition, "Passionate Visions of the American South: Self-Taught Artists from 1940 to the Present." It also highlights the success of some of its public programs. However, the process of attracting these audiences to the museum falls short in its attempts at developing long-term relationships with NOMA. The first chapter provides historical background on NOMA and offers an overview of the "Passionate Visions" project. Chapter Two describes, in relative detail, the project's community outreach component and implementation of its public programs. It closes with an analysis of short range and long term impacts. The final chapter further analyzes the project experience, inclusive of the management style of the project director, issues surrounding conflict of interest and ethics, and the degree of NOMA's commitment, or lack thereof, to long-term non-traditional audience inclusiveness.

William C. C. Claiborne found himself a stranger in a strange land. Almost more a colonial governor of a European power rather than an American statesman, Claiborne grappled with maintaining a militia force for the Territory of Orleans, now the present day state of Louisiana. He built upon the volunteer companies he found within the city of New Orleans, but had little success molding the entire militia into an effective, efficient military force. Claiborne, hoping to use the fear generated by the January 1811 slave revolt to spur militia reform, maintained an active correspondence with the state's legislators, the area's military commanders, the members of the Louisiana congressional delegation, and even the President of the United States for assistance with militia matters. Ultimately, Claiborne failed and the British attack on New Orleans in 1814/1815 made the matter of reform academic.

Descriptions of mourning adornments in England and New Orleans in the nineteenth century are used to argue that many of the customs of mourning in England -- the designs, themes, and materials -- also were present in New Orleans. This study draws from these observations and sources to suggest that mourning practices involving jewelry and costume became more functional and less formal in both England and New Orleans as the century progressed, while French customs retained and even grew in complexity. The high level of trade between Britain and New Orleans during the nineteenth century, reflected in the jewelry and costume of Louisiana, supports an argument that this new world city was influenced by, absorbed and incorporated social customs and activities that were useful to them, drawn from a wider range of cultures and peoples than perhaps are usually mentioned in historical accounts.