Congo Square is often described as the “birthplace of jazz.” But its history goes far deeper—as a place where, every Sunday, the enslaved of New Orleans would practice traditional African music and dance.

In this first episode of a trilogy, we examine Congo Square’s origins, its persistence across French and Spanish New Orleans, and how early American officials sought to regulate it.

LEARN MORE:

Congo Square: African Roots in New Orleans by FreddiWilliams Evans

Congo Square in New Orleans by Jerah Johnson

“A Window on Slave Culture: Dances at Congo Square in NewOrleans, 1800-1862” by Gary A. Donaldson

The World That Made New Orleans: From Spanish Silver toCongo Square by Ned Sublette

City of a Million Dreams: New Orleans at 300 by JasonBerry

The Accidental City: Improvising New Orleans byLawrence N. Powell

“African Cultural Memory in New Orleans Music” byJason Berry

“Deep Skin: Reconstructing Congo Square” by Joseph R. Roach

“New Orleans Music as a Circulatory System” by Matt Sakakeeny

“The Invention of a Memory: Congo Square and African Musicin Nineteenth-Century New Orleans” by Ted Widmer

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Yes. And don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

In our final battle episode, we dispel a few historical myths, muse on alternate history scenarios, and explore not just what the American victory prevented but created.

(And also discuss the TREATY OF GHENT.)

LEARN MORE:

The Greatest Fury: The Battle of New Orleans and the Rebirth of America by William C. Davis

The British at the Gates: The New Orleans Campaign in the War of 1812 by Robin Reilly

The Battle of New Orleans: Andrew Jackson and America's First Military Victory by Robert V. Remini

The Accidental City: Improvising New Orleans by Lawrence N. Powell

The World That Made New Orleans: From Spanish Silver to Congo Square by Ned Sublette

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We say farewell to the folks we've gotten to know during the Battle of New Orleans. The pirates Lafitte meet their end. We assess Andrew Jackson.

LEARN MORE:

The Greatest Fury: The Battle of New Orleans and the Rebirth of America by William C. Davis

The British at the Gates: The New Orleans Campaign in the War of 1812 by Robin Reilly

The Pirates Laffite: The Treacherous World of the Corsairs of the Gulf by William C. Davis

The Battle of New Orleans: Andrew Jackson and America's First Military Victory by Robert V. Remini

The Accidental City: Improvising New Orleans by Lawrence N. Powell

The World That Made New Orleans: From Spanish Silver to Congo Square by Ned Sublette

"The Battle of New Orleans Reconsidered: Andrew Jackson and Martial Law" by Matthew Warshauer

"The Patterson and Ross Raid on Barataria, September 1814" by Robert C. Vogel

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The victorious Andrew Jackson reimposes strict martial law on New Orleans. He arrests a senator and a federal judge—but soon faces justice himself. Meanwhile, diseases like typhoid and measles fell hundreds of victorious soldiers.

LEARN MORE:

"The Battle of New Orleans Reconsidered: Andrew Jackson and Martial Law" by Matthew Warshauer

The Greatest Fury: The Battle of New Orleans and the Rebirth of America by William C. Davis

The British at the Gates: The New Orleans Campaign in the War of 1812 by Robin Reilly

The Battle of New Orleans: Andrew Jackson and America's First Military Victory by Robert V. Remini

The Accidental City: Improvising New Orleans by Lawrence N. Powell

The World That Made New Orleans: From Spanish Silver to Congo Square by Ned Sublette

After victory, New Orleans exhales... then throws its biggest party yet. We meet some fun characters as the British evacuate the field. Andrew Jackson is (symbolically) crowned Roman emperor.

LEARN MORE:

The Greatest Fury: The Battle of New Orleans and the Rebirth of America by William C. Davis

The British at the Gates: The New Orleans Campaign in the War of 1812 by Robin Reilly

The Battle of New Orleans: Andrew Jackson and America's First Military Victory by Robert V. Remini

The Accidental City: Improvising New Orleans by Lawrence N. Powell

The World That Made New Orleans: From Spanish Silver to Congo Square by Ned Sublette

"The Battle of New Orleans Reconsidered: Andrew Jackson and Martial Law" by Matthew Warshauer

An invading British army is obliterated by an unlikely coalition: American frontiersmen, French speakers, free men of color, pirates and a hundred kinds more. New Orleans is saved.

LEARN MORE:

The Greatest Fury: The Battle of New Orleans and the Rebirth of America by William C. Davis

The British at the Gates: The New Orleans Campaign in the War of 1812 by Robin Reilly

The Battle of New Orleans: Andrew Jackson and America's First Military Victory by Robert V. Remini

The Accidental City: Improvising New Orleans by Lawrence N. Powell

The Pirates Laffite: The Treacherous World of the Corsairs of the Gulf by William C. Davis

The World That Made New Orleans: From Spanish Silver to Congo Square by Ned Sublette

"Jean Lafitte, the Baratarians, and the Battle of New Orleans: A Reappraisal" by Robert C. Vogel

"Always 'En Garde': The Effects of Slave Insurrection upon the Louisiana Mentality, 1811-1815" by Junius P. Rodriguez

"William Claiborne and New Orleans's Battalion of Color, 1803-1815: Race and the Limits of Federal Power in the Early Republic" by James E. Wainwright

"The Battle of New Orleans Reconsidered: Andrew Jackson and Martial Law" by Matthew Warshauer

"British Command Decisions Relative to the Battle of New Orleans" by John K. Mahon

The Americans build a wall to defend New Orleans. The British army pays for it.

Donate to help the victims and families of the New Year's tragedy on Bourbon Street.

https://www.gnof.org/new-orleans-new-years-day-tragedy-fund-2/

https://www.unitedwaysela.org/UnitedforNOLA

LEARN MORE:

The Greatest Fury: The Battle of New Orleans and the Rebirth of America by William C. Davis

The British at the Gates: The New Orleans Campaign in the War of 1812 by Robin Reilly

The Battle of New Orleans: Andrew Jackson and America's First Military Victory by Robert V. Remini

The Accidental City: Improvising New Orleans by Lawrence N. Powell

The Pirates Laffite: The Treacherous World of the Corsairs of the Gulf by William C. Davis

The World That Made New Orleans: From Spanish Silver to Congo Square by Ned Sublette

"British Command Decisions Relative to the Battle of New Orleans" by John K. Mahon

Gabriel Villeré escapes the British invaders. Jackson attacks them immediately. As a thick fog rolls in below New Orleans, both sides manage feats of strength.

READ MORE:

The Greatest Fury: The Battle of New Orleans and the Rebirth of America by William C. Davis

The British at the Gates: The New Orleans Campaign in the War of 1812 by Robin Reilly

The Battle of New Orleans: Andrew Jackson and America's First Military Victory by Robert V. Remini

The Accidental City: Improvising New Orleans by Lawrence N. Powell

The Pirates Laffite: The Treacherous World of the Corsairs of the Gulf by William C. Davis

The World That Made New Orleans: From Spanish Silver to Congo Square by Ned Sublette

"British Command Decisions Relative to the Battle of New Orleans" by John K. Mahon

https://villerefamily.com/the-battle-of-new-orleans/

The British take the bad route to New Orleans. It is very cold.

READ MORE:

The Greatest Fury: The Battle of New Orleans and the Rebirth of America by William C. Davis

The British at the Gates: The New Orleans Campaign in the War of 1812 by Robin Reilly

The Battle of New Orleans: Andrew Jackson and America's First Military Victory by Robert V. Remini

The Accidental City: Improvising New Orleans by Lawrence N. Powell

The Pirates Laffite: The Treacherous World of the Corsairs of the Gulf by William C. Davis

The World That Made New Orleans: From Spanish Silver to Congo Square by Ned Sublette

"British Command Decisions Relative to the Battle of New Orleans" by John K. Mahon

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Andrew Jackson races to prepare New Orleans before the British invasion. The Lafittes cut a deal. An urgent message arrives from downriver.

READ MORE:

The Greatest Fury: The Battle of New Orleans and the Rebirth of America by William C. Davis

The British at the Gates: The New Orleans Campaign in the War of 1812 by Robin Reilly

The Battle of New Orleans: Andrew Jackson and America's First Military Victory by Robert V. Remini

The Accidental City: Improvising New Orleans by Lawrence N. Powell

The Pirates Laffite: The Treacherous World of the Corsairs of the Gulf by William C. Davis

The World That Made New Orleans: From Spanish Silver to Congo Square by Ned Sublette

"British Command Decisions Relative to the Battle of New Orleans" by John K. Mahon