The role of slaves in the Old South was always marked as one of servitude towards the master. Lives were spent with a master, with generation after generation of blacks serving their white masters. Some were fortunate enough to gain freedom, yet most never tasted that luxury. However, during Louisiana’s Spanish colonial period, there was a huge growth in the development of free blacks. Free blacks, our libres, were very unique to Louisiana and especially New Orleans for they were a growing group and played an integral role in New Orleans society.

Bounded Lives, Bounded Places by Kimberly S. Hanger examines the libres of New Orleans from the perspective of its free black residents and exposes the advances they made in many different facets of colonial life. Hanger shows how that the blacks in New Orleans, although not all yearning for more opportunity, received more under the influence of the Spanish crown than they would have under the rule of the other European or even early American jurisidictions.

Hanger did an exemplary role or not only maintaining a strong focus on Spanish Louisiana but also providing for frequent views of other parts o

It was very interesting to observe how most of these libres had gained their freedom. Most were given freedom from their masters. Some were given their freedom on a condition that they would serve them for a few additional years. Others were freed through self purchase and from third party purchasing their freedom. Through my understanding, the freeing of slaves was encouraged in New Orleans colonial society by both whites and blacks as the blacks were slowly evolving into an integral role in that society.

Hanger continued her fine work by repeatedly bringing specific examples of the libres bringing me closer to the realities of life in the colony. The process that these freed slaves undertook to gain their freedom and challenge their low status within colonial society led to their noted identity which emphasized their contributions to society. Her documentation and continued use of many different freed blacks helped evolve my understanding of what the freed blacks experienced in their attempts to find their place in New Orleans colonial society. “Through various forms of political action and cultural play in both covert and over ways… the libres resisted oppression based on their race and status. At the same time however, these and other cases disclose the loyalty many libres sustained for their white patrons and kin and for the Spanish government, no matter how unequal its system of privileges and rewards” (161). It was interesting to see this relationship between the libres, the

Some topics in this essay:
America Jefferson, American Revolution, Finally American, Orleans Southern, Orleans Hangar, Kimberly Hanger, Colonial Orleans, Louisiana’s Spanish, Spanish Louisiana, European American, free black, colonial orleans, spanish government, colonial society, black society, free black society, free blacks, free black community, colonial life, gain freedom, society colonial, freed blacks, orleans colonial society, society colonial orleans, black society colonial,