Louisiana's Creoles of Color

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reole. At first the court argued that Creoles were purely Caucasian, then later stated that they were unsure if purely white individuals should be considered Creole because there was no true definition of Creole at that time. It was thus concluded that there was no clear consensus about the racial identity of the Creole population even in a state as persistent as Louisiana in defining its racial structure (Dominquez, 1986.)
The meaning of the word Creole has evolved over time. Taken from the Spanish word criollo, it, in earlier times, meant white children born in the Caribbean (Brasseaux, 1994.) The earliest use of the term Creole was then used to describe the first generation of children of European settlers who were of mixed ancestry. In general, persons identified as Creole Spoke French and identified with French Culture. To Louisianans, Creoles were those individuals of European descent, particularly the descendants of the French and Spanish settlers. As a result, Creoles of that time included French Americans, Spanish Americans, Indian Americans and Gen de Couleur (Free people of color) (Woods, 1972.) Creoles of Color accordingly are Louisianans of mixed (mainly) French, African, Spanish, and Native American heritage. In general the term Creole sometimes suggests a combination of cultures that is all the richer for the mix. Finally, Creoles can be broken into two distinguishable groups: White Creoles and Creoles of Color. The White Creoles were of majority European descent while the Creoles of color were primarily freed slaves who consisted of Negro blood and French blood.
Thousands of free people of color arrived in New Orleans after the Slave revolts in the late 1700's and early 1800's (Dominquez, 1986.) From the earliest days of New Orleans history, free persons of color coexisted with those of European extraction. Some were former slaves who were able to buy their freedom. For example, slave masters would often "lease out" sl...