Chapter 7
Spanish Colonial Era
Lesson 1: Louisiana Becomes a
Spanish Colony
• 1762: Louisiana transferred to Spain by France (during French &
Indian War)
• – Accomplished with secret Treaty of Fountainebleu
• – Money and military aid needed from Spain
• New colony – expensive for Spain to operate
• – Huge military expense
• New colony – a strategic location for Spain (Control of the Mississippi
River
The Acadians
• The Acadians – exiles from French Acadia
• – Peasants coming from France to Canada (1632)
• – Hard-working trappers & farmers
• – Valued land, family, Catholic faith
• 1755: Acadians evicted from their land
• – Accused by British officer of refusal to take oath of allegiance to
Protestant British King
• – Sent to British colonies on Atlantic Coast
The Acadians
• 1764: Arrival of first Acadian group in
Louisiana
• Given supplies from government
warehouses
• Sent to live in Attakapa region
• Raised livestock on prairies
• Increased in numbers in colony
• Present-day Louisiana –
home to descendants of Acadians
The Secret Transfer
• Government official sent by French to transfer colony to Spain (1763)
• – Transfer kept as secret from colonists
• – French officials waiting for arrival of Spanish
• September 30, 1764: official announcement regarding transfer of
colony from France to Spain
• – Colonists bitter about betrayal of France
• – Leader (Jean Milhet) selected to urge France to keep Louisiana He and
Bienville try to persuade the officials not to give up Louisiana
Arrival of the Spanish Governor
• Antonio de Ulloa – sent by Spain to
• Louisiana as 1st Spanish governor (1766)
– Little ability as forceful leader
– Rule as governor confusing to colonists
• Unpopular changes made by Ulloa
– Worked with French officials to conduct business of colony
– Tried to impose Spanish trade rules on colony
The Rebellion
• 1768: Rebellion of mob against Ulloa
• Appeal by the people to French King to return Louisiana to French
family
– Pleas ignored by King Louis XV (no desire to offend ally, King Carlos III
of Spain)
– Colony an expensive burden to maintain
• Help requested from British governor at Pensacola
Arrival of the Military
• Colonists’ actions considered by Spanish to be treason
• Alejandro (Alexander) O’Reilly selected to regain and control colony
• Power of Spain asserted by O’Reilly
– Required colonists to take oath of allegiance to Spain
– Leaders of rebellion sentenced to death or prison
• O’Reilly called “Bloody O’Reilly” by French
Section 2:
Spanish Control
Words to Know:
• Treason: An act of rebellion against your government
• Cabildo: The Spanish form of government in Louisisana
• Surveyor: a person who establishes boundaries for property owners
Order and Organization
• O’Reilly charged with removing French power and law from Spanish
colony
– Used Spanish colonial law as model
– Replaced French Superior Council with Spanish Cabildo
– Abolished Indian slavery
• Population census commissioned by O’Reilly
• End of rebellion – colony under control
Louisiana Under Unzaga
• Luis de Unzaga y Amezaga sent with O’Reilly to become next governor
• – Overlooked Spanish laws, allowed British merchants to set up shops in New
Orleans
• – Appointed many French to government positions
• – Repaired & strengthened Louisiana forts
• More soldiers brought into colony
• Sell of firearms to Indian tribes (increased the
loyalty of the Indians)
The Isleños
• Arrival of new colonists from Spanish Canary Islands (off NW coast of Africa)
– Called themselves Isleños (Spanish word for “islanders”)
– Faced disease, hurricanes, lost ships, delays
– Death of many (settlements of few in colony)
• Isleños brought to Louisiana for military
purposes
• – Directed to become farmers
• – Given basics by Spanish government
The Isleños
Section 3: Louisiana in the American Revolution
Words to know:
• neutral: not taking sides
• militia: voluntary army
• Siege: a military operation in which enemy forces surround a town or
building, cutting off essential supplies, with the aim of compelling the
surrender of those inside.
Louisiana in the American Revolution
• April, 1775 – beginning of American Revolution (“the shot heard round the
world”) in Lexington, Massachusetts
• Resistance from colonists (British troops sent to seize their weapons)
• July 4, 1776 – Independence from King George III & Great Britain
declared by American colonies (Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin
Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert Livingston)
Spain Supports the American Revolution
• Spain glad to see Great Britain in trouble
• Americans secretly supported by Spanish with supplies from New
Orleans
• 1777 – Bernardo de Gálvez (new governor)
• Secret Spanish assistance to Continental
Army directed from New Orleans by
American agent Oliver Pollock
Spain Enters the War
• 1779: Spain entered war
– Allies with France against British
– Did not become ally of Americans
September 7, 1779: Manchac with 1500 soldiers captured
• September 21, 1779: British fort (New Richmond – present-day Baton Rouge) seized
by Gálvez
• Mobile and fort at Pensacola captured by Gálvez
• – Gálvez honored with royal title
• – Gálvez still honored today as Spanish hero
September 7, 1779
Fort Bute Manchac, LA
September 21, 1779
Fort New Richmond,
Baton Rouge, LA
September 21, 1779
Fort Panmure, Natchez, MS
October, 1780
Fort Charlotte, Mobile, AL
May 8 – 10, 1781
Fort George Pensacola, FL
The War Ends
• 1783: war ends with Treaty of Paris
• Florida – a possession of Spain again
• Camino Real (“Road of the King”) improved to protect Spain’s
possessions
• Route from Texas to Louisiana used by vaqueros (cowboys)
• Part of this is Hwy 90 today
Camino Real
Old Spanish Trail
Section 4: Spanish Louisiana after the
American Revolution
Vocabulary:
• French Revolution: uprising that took place in France in 1789. The
people overthrew their government
• Right of Deposit: The Americans could store their goods (exports) in
warehouses before loading them onto ships
Spanish Louisiana after the American Revolution
• Gálvez promoted to another assignment in colonial Spain
• Esteban Rodriquez Miro sent to Louisiana as new governor (1785)
Challenges
• Major problems with Native Americans
• After war’s end – push of American settlers toward Spanish territory
• Desire of Spanish government for more loyal colonists in Spanish Louisiana
• 1788: Great New Orleans Fire (856 homes lost)
• 1794: Another devastating fire
• Improvement of life in colony
– Looser trade laws by Spain
– Increase in population
• 1790: Establishment of Fort Miro (City of Monroe)
– Origin of city of Monroe
– Name given to honor Governor Miro
The French Revolution
• Unrest in colony due to French Revolution
– Connection of French heritage of many colonists
– Attraction of ideas of freedom
• Situation in France more violent (beginning of “the Reign of Terror”)
• – Loyal French in constant danger of being beheaded
• – Escape of some of noble class to Louisiana
Growth
• 1791: Francisco Luis Hector, Baron de Carondelet
chosen as next Spanish governor
• –Allowed free trade with United States
• –Permitted foreign trade ships to enter Port of
New Orleans
Carondelet
• Re-establish trust with the Native Americans. He looked to
them for support in case the colonists tried to create a
revolution against the Spanish Government.
• Set up the first police department in New Orleans
• Set up street lights in New Orleans
• Stopped the importation of slaves for fear of a slave revolt in
Louisiana
Boundary Disputes
• Push of western American farmers for more access to port of New
Orleans
• 1795: Pinckney’s Treaty formulated to solve situation
– free navigation of Mississippi to Americans
– agreement of right of deposit
– boundary set between United States and the Spanish territory at the
31⁰ N latitude
Pinckney’s Treaty Line
Sugar Cane
• Jesuits Priests were credited for bringing sugar cane to Louisiana
• Etienne Bore’ was able to process granulated sugar from Sugar Cane
with the help of slaves from Haiti.
• They came to Louisiana after the Slave Revolt
The Final Spanish Years
• 1794: Beginning of 1st newspaper in the colony (Le Moniteur de la
Louisiane)
• New Orleans lifestyle offensive to Spanish priests
• Colony still unable to support itself (too expensive for Spain to keep)