‘Defending Jackson’s Ramparts’: The Political and Cultural Struggle of Preserving the Battle of New Orleans Historic Site

Summary

In 1815, Andrew Jackson and the soldiers in his army defended a narrow strip of land along the Mississippi River in a desperate attempt to keep the British out of New Orleans.  More than one hundred years later, Jackson’s ramparts were again under assault, but this time by land developers interested in the valuable river front property.  

In "Defending Jackson’s Ramparts," I examine the efforts of the Daughters of the War of 1812, the U.S. War Department, and the U.S. National Park service to secure major portions of the Battle of New Orleans historic site from 1915 to 1965. Doing so involved combating for-profit corporate interests, developing a heritage tourism apparatus, and the displacement of an entire African-American community during the Jim Crow South.  This story offers a nuanced glimpse into what is often depicted as a bipolar struggle between corporate greed and historic preservation.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• The Enduring Expression of Historic Memory: The Role of Artistic Works in the Understanding, Protection, and Promotion of Cultural Resources   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2017

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Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 518