Code Noir & Plaçage: The Influence of Race and Gender in Antebellum Louisiana

Since the founding of Louisiana in 1682, various countries and systems of law have presided over it, creating a diverse social and legal culture that has always been unique in comparison to the rest of colonial America. Equally as diverse as the different power structures which existed in Louisiana is its racial composition: a myriad of groups such as Mulattoes, Quadroons, and Octoroons. Louisiana presented an interesting social dichotomy: freed people of color arguably experienced the best standard of living in comparison to the rest of colonial America, whereas the lives of the enslaved were some of the most brutal and repressed. However, to reduce Louisiana to solely a colony that struggled with race-related issues oversimplifies something inherently more complex; antebellum Louisiana was an intersection of social class, gender, and race both politically and socially. Each cultural nuance of Louisiana contributed to the creation of plaçage, which …show more content…
During the period between the end of the Civil War and Reconstruction, many people of color who had ascended socially through either entering into a system of plaçage, or being the product of it, became prominent political leaders at the state level. Additionally, a permanent aristocracy of slave owners of color was created, including families such as the Gaskins, Richards, and Dubuclets. While Louisiana was certainly not a racially egalitarian landscape, as the institution of slavery was widespread, it did provide people of color with social and economic mobility that was unprecedented for the time period and absent throughout the rest of English