City History: New Orleans

Steve Keller

A podcast exploring the history of New Orleans. Your support helps buy the books needed to make each episode! https://ko-fi.com/cityhistory We'll cover New Orleans's founding, its evolution through French, Spanish and American rule, the battle that saved it in 1815, Congo Square, its dramatic capture and occupation during the Civil War, its unique legacy of race and slavery, how it survived Prohibition, the Depression and hurricanes, Mardi Gras, jazz and the future New Orleans may (or may not) have.

  1. JAN 19

    2.4: The End of Congo Square

    New Orleans becomes hostile to Congo Square. The African dances are banned. The space falls into disrepair, then becomes a whites-only park. Against all odds, it fights for its original identity. LEARN MORE: Congo Square: African Roots in New Orleans by Freddi Williams Evans Congo Square in New Orleans by Jerah Johnson “A Window on Slave Culture: Dances at Congo Square in New Orleans, 1800-1862” by Gary A. Donaldson The World That Made New Orleans: From Spanish Silver to Congo Square by Ned Sublette City of a Million Dreams: New Orleans at 300 by Jason Berry The Accidental City: Improvising New Orleans by Lawrence N. Powell “African Cultural Memory in New Orleans Music” by Jason Berry “Deep Skin: Reconstructing Congo Square” by Joseph R. Roach “New Orleans Music as a Circulatory System” by Matt Sakakeeny “The Invention of a Memory: Congo Square and African Music in Nineteenth-Century New Orleans” by Ted Widmer Sinful Tunes and Spirituals: Black Folk Music to the Civil War by Dena J. Epstein https://antigravitymagazine.com/feature/sacred-ground/ https://chrisdier.com/2015/03/10/raquette-the-lost-sport-of-new-orleans/ SOUNDS: French Quarter Bourbon walk.wav by volivieri --https://freesound.org/s/110012/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

    34 min

  2. JAN 4

    2.3: How Congo Square Survived

    We explore why Congo Square existed for so long, how it retained an African character, and how its memory survived beyond New Orleans. We also talk about Louisiana Creole and some surprising aspects of this near-extinct language. LEARN MORE: Congo Square: African Roots in New Orleans by Freddi Williams Evans Congo Square in New Orleans by Jerah Johnson “A Window on Slave Culture: Dances at Congo Square in New Orleans, 1800-1862” by Gary A. Donaldson The World That Made New Orleans: From Spanish Silver to Congo Square by Ned Sublette City of a Million Dreams: New Orleans at 300 by Jason Berry The Accidental City: Improvising New Orleans by Lawrence N. Powell “African Cultural Memory in New Orleans Music” by Jason Berry “Deep Skin: Reconstructing Congo Square” by Joseph R. Roach “New Orleans Music as a Circulatory System” by Matt Sakakeeny “The Invention of a Memory: Congo Square and African Music in Nineteenth-Century New Orleans” by Ted Widmer Sinful Tunes and Spirituals: Black Folk Music to the Civil War by Dena J. Epstein https://antigravitymagazine.com/feature/sacred-ground/ SOUNDS: French Quarter Bourbon walk.wav by volivieri --https://freesound.org/s/110012/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

    22 min

  3. 11/21/2025

    2.2: Congo Square

    The enslaved of New Orleans make music and dance together at the city's edge. This is the story of Congo Square: the people who gathered there every Sunday—and the African culture they kept alive. Listen to "Tan Patate-La Tchuite" by Adelaide Van Wey: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1F8jFIbCD1o LEARN MORE: Congo Square: African Roots in New Orleans by Freddi Williams Evans Congo Square in New Orleans by Jerah Johnson “A Window on Slave Culture: Dances at Congo Square in NewOrleans, 1800-1862” by Gary A. Donaldson The World That Made New Orleans: From Spanish Silver to Congo Square by Ned Sublette City of a Million Dreams: New Orleans at 300 by Jason Berry The Accidental City: Improvising New Orleans by Lawrence N. Powell “African Cultural Memory in New Orleans Music” by Jason Berry “Deep Skin: Reconstructing Congo Square” by Joseph R. Roach “New Orleans Music as a Circulatory System” by Matt Sakakeeny “The Invention of a Memory: Congo Square and African Music in Nineteenth-Century New Orleans” by Ted Widmer Sinful Tunes and Spirituals: Black Folk Music to the Civil War by Dena J. Epstein https://antigravitymagazine.com/feature/sacred-ground/ SOUNDS: French Quarter Bourbon walk.wav by volivieri --https://freesound.org/s/110012/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

    33 min

  4. 09/30/2025

    2.1: Congo Plains

    Congo Square is often described as the “birthplace of jazz.” But its history goes far deeper—as a place where, every Sunday, the enslaved of New Orleans would practice traditional African music and dance. In this first episode of a trilogy, we examine Congo Square’s origins, its persistence across French and Spanish New Orleans, and how early American officials sought to regulate it. LEARN MORE: Congo Square: African Roots in New Orleans by Freddi Williams Evans Congo Square in New Orleans by Jerah Johnson “A Window on Slave Culture: Dances at Congo Square in NewOrleans, 1800-1862” by Gary A. Donaldson The World That Made New Orleans: From Spanish Silver toCongo Square by Ned Sublette City of a Million Dreams: New Orleans at 300 by JasonBerry The Accidental City: Improvising New Orleans byLawrence N. Powell “African Cultural Memory in New Orleans Music” byJason Berry “Deep Skin: Reconstructing Congo Square” by Joseph R. Roach “New Orleans Music as a Circulatory System” by Matt Sakakeeny “The Invention of a Memory: Congo Square and African Musicin Nineteenth-Century New Orleans” by Ted Widmer SOUNDS: French Quarter Bourbon walk.wav by volivieri --https://freesound.org/s/110012/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

    25 min

  5. 07/07/2025

    1.31: Why the Battle of New Orleans Mattered

    In our final battle episode, we dispel a few historical myths, muse on alternate history scenarios, and explore not just what the American victory prevented but created. (And also discuss the TREATY OF GHENT.) LEARN MORE: The Greatest Fury: The Battle of New Orleans and the Rebirth of America by William C. Davis The British at the Gates: The New Orleans Campaign in the War of 1812 by Robin Reilly The Battle of New Orleans: Andrew Jackson and America's First Military Victory by Robert V. Remini The Accidental City: Improvising New Orleans by Lawrence N. Powell The World That Made New Orleans: From Spanish Silver to Congo Square by Ned Sublette SOUNDS: French Quarter Bourbon walk.wav by volivieri -- https://freesound.org/s/110012/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

    34 min

  6. 06/04/2025

    1.30: The Goodbye Look

    We say farewell to the folks we've gotten to know during the Battle of New Orleans. The pirates Lafitte meet their end. We assess Andrew Jackson. LEARN MORE: The Greatest Fury: The Battle of New Orleans and the Rebirth of America by William C. Davis The British at the Gates: The New Orleans Campaign in the War of 1812 by Robin Reilly The Pirates Laffite: The Treacherous World of the Corsairs of the Gulf by William C. Davis The Battle of New Orleans: Andrew Jackson and America's First Military Victory by Robert V. Remini The Accidental City: Improvising New Orleans by Lawrence N. Powell The World That Made New Orleans: From Spanish Silver to Congo Square by Ned Sublette "The Battle of New Orleans Reconsidered: Andrew Jackson and Martial Law" by Matthew Warshauer "The Patterson and Ross Raid on Barataria, September 1814" by Robert C. Vogel SOUNDS: French Quarter Bourbon walk.wav by volivieri -- https://freesound.org/s/110012/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

    23 min

  7. 05/05/2025

    1.29: Old Dickory

    The victorious Andrew Jackson reimposes strict martial law on New Orleans. He arrests a senator and a federal judge—but soon faces justice himself. Meanwhile, diseases like typhoid and measles fell hundreds of victorious soldiers. LEARN MORE: "The Battle of New Orleans Reconsidered: Andrew Jackson and Martial Law" by Matthew Warshauer The Greatest Fury: The Battle of New Orleans and the Rebirth of America by William C. Davis The British at the Gates: The New Orleans Campaign in the War of 1812 by Robin Reilly The Battle of New Orleans: Andrew Jackson and America's First Military Victory by Robert V. Remini The Accidental City: Improvising New Orleans by Lawrence N. Powell The World That Made New Orleans: From Spanish Silver to Congo Square by Ned Sublette

    21 min

  8. 04/12/2025

    1.28: The Saints Go Marching In

    After victory, New Orleans exhales... then throws its biggest party yet. We meet some fun characters as the British evacuate the field. Andrew Jackson is (symbolically) crowned Roman emperor. LEARN MORE: The Greatest Fury: The Battle of New Orleans and the Rebirth of America by William C. Davis The British at the Gates: The New Orleans Campaign in the War of 1812 by Robin Reilly The Battle of New Orleans: Andrew Jackson and America's First Military Victory by Robert V. Remini The Accidental City: Improvising New Orleans by Lawrence N. Powell The World That Made New Orleans: From Spanish Silver to Congo Square by Ned Sublette "The Battle of New Orleans Reconsidered: Andrew Jackson and Martial Law" by Matthew Warshauer

    23 min
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5
out of 5
105 Ratings

About

A podcast exploring the history of New Orleans. Your support helps buy the books needed to make each episode! https://ko-fi.com/cityhistory We'll cover New Orleans's founding, its evolution through French, Spanish and American rule, the battle that saved it in 1815, Congo Square, its dramatic capture and occupation during the Civil War, its unique legacy of race and slavery, how it survived Prohibition, the Depression and hurricanes, Mardi Gras, jazz and the future New Orleans may (or may not) have.

Information

  • Creator
    Steve Keller
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    35
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Steve Keller
  • Show Website
    City History: New Orleans

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