Creoles of color in the Bayou country

by Carl A. Brasseaux

The Creoles of Color rightfully count themselves among South Louisiana's first families, yet their contributions to the region have been almost completely ignored by historians, demographers, sociologists, and anthropologists. The oversight stems largely from the special status of the Creoles of Color community in rural Louisiana's multitiered society. This book constitutes the first serious historical examination of a distinctive multiracial society and its notable contributions to the Pelican State's development. In recounting the sometimes turbulent history of these fascinating people, the authors have mined exhaustively the region's primary source records. The early Creoles of Color are portrayed as a dynamic component of the region's economy. From the earliest days of settlement and establishment in the prairie regions, the Creoles of Color were seeking prosperity. They received a greater degree of help than perhaps other free blacks. Concerned by what others thought about them, t