Louisiana History, GLE #75
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Ethnicity
8th Grade Social Studies; GLE #75
Copyright 2008 by Paul Blankenship
Some rights reserved.
See http://www.paulblankenship.com for Creative Commons license.
Grade-Level Expectation
History
Louisiana History
Benchmark: H-1D-M1; describing the contributions of people, events, movements, and ideas that have
been significant in the history of Louisiana ; (1, 3, 4)
GLE #75. Describe the contributions of ethnic groups significant in Louisiana history (H-1D-M1)
Objective
We will describe the contributions of ethnic groups significant in Louisiana history.
We will measure our learning through the GLE #75 Worksheet and a test at a later date.
African-Americans
African-Americans contributed their cultural heritage to Louisiana.
Louisiana has many African words such as “gumbo” in its vocabulary.
African roots are vital to jazz, blues, rock, and hip-hop music.
Anglo-Americans
Anglo-Americans brought Protestantism, the English language, the cotton gin, and new technologies
to Louisiana.
Cajuns (Acadians)
The Cajuns created their unique cuisine, music, and dance in Louisiana.
Chinese
Chinese immigrants brought their language and cuisine to Louisiana.
Creoles
Creole culture in Louisiana developed it sown haute cuisine and customs that shaped Louisiana’s
image.
French
(Non-Acadian)
The French brought European customs and the French language to Louisiana.
The French explorer LaSalle gave the region the name “Louisiana.”
Germans
The German immigrants brought their agricultural skills and their culture to Louisiana.
Though the use of the German language in Louisiana faded, the German Coast still has some
remnants of German culture.
Haitians
The Haitians brought voodoo to New Orleans.
Indians (Asian)
A new immigrant group, Indian culture in increasingly seen in Louisiana life.
Indian restaurants are more common today than ten years ago.
Indian performers share their culture at the Red River Revel.
Irish
The Irish settled in New Orleans. The accepted the dirty and dangerous job of building the city’s
canals.
Louisiana History, GLE #75
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Irish culture is part of south Louisiana, where St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated with parades in New
Orleans and Baton Rouge.
Isleños
The Isleños brought and preserved Spanish language and culture in south Louisiana.
Many Isleños struggle to preserve their cultural heritage today.
Jews
Louisiana has long had a strong Jewish community.
The first U. S. Senator of the Jewish faith, Judah P. Benjamin, was elected in Louisiana.
Many Louisiana communities have synagogues.
Latinos
Latinos, such as the Spanish Texans that created Zwolle and other communities in west Louisiana,
have long been a part of Louisiana’s culture.
Louisiana’s French Quarter is actually Spanish in its architecture.
Native Americans
The first human inhabitants in Louisiana were Native Americans.
Native Americans have many cultures and languages in Louisiana.
Native Americans contributed to the cuisine and culture of Louisiana.
Vietnamese
Many Vietnamese escaped the horrors of communism by moving to south Louisiana.
The Vietnamese language is often heard in Jefferson Parish.
Vietnamese restaurants are increasingly common in Louisiana.
Conclusion
Louisiana is a culturally diverse state.
This presentation is merely an overview of our complex cultural heritage.
Cultural diffusion over the centuries created our unique culture.
Our culture continues to develop as new groups add their distinctive traits to our cultural
gumbo.