Chapter 9

The Changing South

The subtropical climate and good soils formed many fertile areas for agriculture in Louisiana. Cotton production dominated the South as early as the 1830s. Cotton was profitable for plantation owners because of the large-scale cultivation using slave labor. The cotton boom increased the demand for slaves by the 1850s and by that time, slaves made up 50 percent of the population in the four large cotton producing states, Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi.

The Cajuns in Louisiana are French-speaking Catholics from Nova Scotia and New Brunswick (formerly Acadia). They were forced to leave by the non-Catholic British who took the region from the French in 1763. The Cajuns remained in Louisiana after Jefferson purchased it in 1803 and are now a distinctive part of the South’s culture.  

As of 2000, Catholics were mainly distributed in the southern part of Louisiana and Baptists in the northern part.

Church in New Orleans

The Southern economy suffered after the Civil War ended in 1865 but cotton continued to dominate as well as tobacco production. By 1880, the economy entered the manufacturing stage. Textile manufacturing was relocated to the South, and Railroad reconstruction, Cigarette, Timber, iron and steel manufacturing helped improve the economy. Segregation followed the Civil War and Outmigration was the result of racial oppression and poverty in the South.

Today, farming is less important to Louisiana's economy. Petroleum and coal manufacturing and chemical manufacturing are major contributors to the economy. Service opportunities in tourism, retail, and government have also increased. New Orleans remains a major cultural location in the United States. Cajun and Creole cuisine is also a major highlight of Louisiana.

Beignets

Cajun Shrimp

Resources:
Birdsall, Palka, Malinowski, Price. Regional Landscapes of The United States & Canada.
http://www.history.iastate.edu/agprimer/Page28.html
http://www.valpo.edu/geomet/geo/courses/geo200/religion.html
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/349271/Louisiana

Photos:
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUHkQBy0AB6okiMJCl8P7_rMdDI6JI82xpo7tvSP5GJI4VlirbGlAQKVSBhlV4bXlIDip143Ndl149DvFcNSkcX6hyR3LKBXarN-PcmKSX52ziF4xtBTeWNBRm6A00zIHTSHxYkfKP3oAW/s1600/800px-CottonPlant.jpg

http://www.doa.louisiana.gov/census/theme/cajun.jpg
http://www.neworleanschurches.com/mdetours_laf/detours2.jpg
http://www.wbrz.com/images/news/timber.JPG
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3038/2834792794_90712d6433.jpg
http://steamykitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/killer-cajun-shirmp1.jpg