Free, Black, And Traveling: An Analysis Of The Passports Issued To New Orleans Gens De Couleur Libre, 1818-1831

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Paper / Report Submission (General Sessions)" , at the 2022 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

September 1, 1818: To the free negresse Maria Lucia 34 years old and 5 feet 4 inches tall leaving on the Schooner of Mr. Laurent for Pensacola. - New Orleans, Office of the Mayor. On September 1, 1818, the New Orleans government recorded Maria Lucia’s passport, the first granted to a free person of color. From 1818-1831, the city issued nearly 500 passports for free and enslaved residents of color, like Lucia. Most of the passports contain data such as the name, status, heritage, age, height, and travel plans of a traveler. Thus, the collection offers an abundance of information about the city’s black population. This paper examines the passports of free residents of color. In considering the passports, the paper elucidates free and black experience in early nineteenth century New Orleans.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• SHA 2022 General Sessions   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2022

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Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology