ERIC ED463191: The Vieux Carre: A Creole Neighborhood in New Orleans. Teaching with Historic Places.

37 Pages·2001·0.78 MB·English

by  ERIC

DOCUMENT RESUME
SO 032 558
ED 463 191
Fortier, Byron
AUTHOR
The Vieux Carre: A Creole Neighborhood in New Orleans.
TITLE
Teaching with Historic Places.
National Park Service (Dept. of Interior), Washington, DC.
INSTITUTION
National Register of Historic Places.
2001-00-00
PUB DATE
36p.; Edited by Fay Metcalf.
NOTE
Teaching with Historic Places, National Register of Historic
AVAILABLE FROM
Places, National Park Service, 1849 C Street, NW, Suite
NC400, Washington, DC 20240. For full text:
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/20vieux/20vieux
.htm.
Classroom
Teacher (052)
Guides
PUB TYPE
MF01/PCO2 Plus Postage.
EDRS PRICE
*Built Environment; *Colonial History (United States);
DESCRIPTORS
Creoles; Cultural Pluralism; *Heritage Education; *Historic
Sites; Intermediate Grades; Primary Sources; Secondary
Education; Social Studies; Student Educational Objectives
*Louisiana (New Orleans); National Register of Historic
IDENTIFIERS
Places; Westward Movement (United States)
ABSTRACT
The French Quarter ("Vieux Carre" in French) is the heart
and soul of modern New Orleans (Louisiana), serving as a continuous reminder
of the city's Creole, colonial past. The French Quarter, lying barely above
sea level, hugs the bank of the Mississippi River. Buildings with
wrought-iron balconies crowd each other and the narrow streets. This lesson
is based on the National Register of Historic Places registration file, Vieux
Carre Historic District, and other source materials. The lesson can be used
in teaching units on colonial history, western expansion in the 18th- and
19th-century United States, or multiculturalism. It is divided into eight
sections: "About This Lesson"; "Getting Started: Inquiry Question"; "Setting
the Stage: Historical Context"; "Locating the Site: Maps" (French Claim to
North America, 1754; Spanish Claims, 1763; Louisiana Purchase, 1803;
Mississippi Delta, 1720; Plan of New Orleans, 1720); "Determining the Facts:
Readings" (History of Settlement in Louisiana; Creoles and Creoles of Color);
"Visual Evidence: Images" (Vieux Carre street scenes; Aerial view of a
typical block; Dependency structure and outbuildings; Facade of a Creole
.townhouse; Facade of a Porte-Corchere Creole townhouse; Facade of an American
townhouse; Floor plan of a Creole townhouse; Floor plan of a
Port-Corchere-Creole townhouse); "Putting It All Together: Activities"
(Architectural Change; Researching Creole Culture; Local Community; Cultural
Interaction); and "Supplementary Resources." (BT)
Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be mide
from the original document.
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Places
Teaching with Historic
Carré: A Creole
The Vieux
Orleans
ew
Neighborhood in
Teaching with Historic Places
Places
National Register of Historic
National Park Service
NC400
1849 C. Street, N.W., Suite
Washington, D.C. 20240
00
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http://www.cr.nps.govindtwhp/wwwlps/lessons/20vieux/20vieux.htm
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EDUCATION
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF
Improvement
Office of Educational Research and
INFORMATION
EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES
CENTER (ERIC)
reproduced as
t4 This document has been
2001
organization
received from the person or
originating it
made to
0 Minor changes have been
improve reproduction quality.
in this
° Points of view or opinions stated
document do not necessarily represent
official OERI position or policy.
Places
Service's National Register of Historic
I
A Program of the National Park
2
MST COPY AVALAKE
Teaching with Historic Places (TwHP) is a program of the National Register of
Historic Places. The National Register is maintained by the National Park Service,
U.S. Department of Interior, as the nations's official list of cultural resources
significant in American history, architecture, archeology, engineering, and culture.
TwHP is sponsored, in part, by the Cultural Resources Training Initiative and Parks
as Classrooms programs of the National Park Service. This lesson is one in a series
that brings the important stories of historic places into classrooms across the
country. For more information, contact Teaching with Historic Places, National
Register of Historic places, 1849 C Street, NW, Suite NC400, Washington, D.C.
20240, or visit the program's Web site at www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp.
The Vieux Carré: A Creole Neighborhood
in New Orleans
Hugging the bank of the huge, swiftly
moving Mississippi River and lying barely
above sea level is the Vieux Carré
[view-ka-ray], or French Quarter, in New
Orleans, Louisiana. Buildings crowd each
other and the narrow streets. Cast-iron
and wrought-iron balconies overhang the
sidewalks, providing shelter from hot
summer sun or sudden downpours. Cool,
inviting courtyards can be glimpsed down
narrow alleys or carriageways, and the
smells of shrimp remoulades and seafood
gumbos waft from hidden kitchens.
Cathedral bells, jazz trumpets, and ship
horns serenade residents and visitors.
The Quarter is the heart and soul of
modern New Orleans and serves as a
continuous reminder of the city's Creole,
colonial past.
(National Historic Landmarks Photograph)
This lesson is based on Vieux Carré Historic District, one of the thousands of
properties and districts listed in the National Register of Historic Places. This
property has been designated a National Historic Landmark.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
About This Lesson
Getting Started: Inquiry Question
Setting the Stage: Historical Context
Locating the Site: Maps
The French Claim to North America, 1754
1 a.
Spanish Claims, 1763
1 b.
The Louisiana Purchase, 1803
1 c.
The Mississippi Delta, 1720
2.
Plan of New Orleans, 1720
3.
Determining the Facts: Readings
The History of Settlement in Louisiana
1.
Creoles and Creoles of Color
2.
Visual Evidence: Images
I.
Vieux Carré street scene
Vieux Carré street scene
2.
Aerial view of a typical block
3.
Dependency structure and outbuildings
4.
Facade of a Creole townhouse
5.
Facade of a Porte-Corchere Creole townhouse
6.
Facade of an American townhouse
7.
Floor plan of a Creole townhouse
8.
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Floor plan of a Porte-Corchere Creole townhouse
9.
Putting It All Together: Activities
Architectural Change
1.
Researching Creole Culture
2.
The Local Community
3.
Cultural Interaction
4.
Supplementary Resources
About This Lesson
This lesson is based on the National Register of Historic Places registration file, "Vieux
Carré Historic District," and other source materials about the Vieux Carré. It was written
by Byron Fortier, a former Park Ranger at Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and
Preserve. It was edited by Fay Metcalf and the Teaching with Historic Places staff.
Where it fits into the curriculum
Topics:
This lesson could be used in teaching units on colonial history, westward
expansion in 18th- and 19th-century America, or multiculturalism.
Time period:
Colonial to 19th-century America
Objectives for students
To describe the boundaries of colonial Louisiana and list the succession of
1)
colonial governments that controlled the area.
To explain the political and strategic significance of New Orleans in
2)
colonial and American history.
To describe the origins and evolution of Creole culture in South Louisiana.
3)
To explain how European concepts of style were modified to fit local
4)
conditions, producing a distinctive architectural legacy, and how those
styles changed as the area became increasingly "Americanized" physically
and culturally.
To identify physical evidence of various cultural influences in their own
5)
community.
Materials for students
The materials listed below either can be used directly on the computer or can be printed
out, photocopied, and distributed to students.
five maps of the French and Spanish claims in North American, the
1)
Louisiana Purchase, the Mississippi Delta, and New Orleans;
two readings about the history of New Orleans and its Creole culture;
2)
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seven photos of the area, including street scenes and historic structures;
3)
three drawings of a typical Vieux Carré townhouse architecture.
4)
Visiting the site
The Vieux Carré is located in downtown New Orleans, roughly bounded by Canal
Street, Rampart Street, Esplanade Avenue and the Mississippi River. A Visitor and
Folk life Center, operated by Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve, is
located in the French Market at 916 N. Peters Street. For more information, contact
Jean Lafitte National Historical Park, U.S. Custom House, 432 Canal Street, New
Orleans, LA 70130, or visit the park's Web page at http://www.nps.gov/jela/
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Getting Started
Inquiry Question
Where might this building be?
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Ph to Analysis Worksheet
Step 1:
Examine the photograph for 10 seconds. How would you describe
the photograph?
Step
2:
Divide the photograph into quadrants and study each section
individually. What details--such as people, objects, activities--do
you notice?
Step 3:
What other information--such as time period, location, season,
reason photo was taken--can you gather from the photo?
Step 4:
How would you revise your first description of the photo using the
information noted in Steps 2 and 3?
Step 5:
What questions do you have about the photograph? How might
you find answers to these questions?
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