Part 1 - Early Exploration Flashcards
Which rivers form Louisiana’s borders?
Mississippi, Sabine, and Pearl
What is Louisiana’s biggest body of water?
Lake Pontchartrain
What are the highest and lowest points of LA?
Highest: Mt. Driskill Lowest: city of New Orleans
Describe the problems with Louisiana’s coastline. Why is our coastline important?
We are losing a football field’s worth of coastline every 100 minutes. The coastlands provide important protection against hurricanes.
How long have people inhabited Louisiana?
Since about 10,000 BC
What is the difference between a tribe and a language group?
A language group is a collection of tribes that speak the same language
Identify some prominent Louisiana tribes.
Attakapas, Natchez, Caddo, Choctaw, Houma
Who was the first European to explore LA and “discover the Mississippi? What was his impact?
Hernando de Soto. He treated the natives brutally looking for gold, and left diseases which wiped out approximately 70% of all Native Louisianians.
Why had the Spanish abandoned attempts to colonize the land that is now Louisiana?
When it became clear that present-day Louisiana did not have gold or silver, they lost interest in the region.
Who were the first French explorers to sail down the Mississippi?
French fur-trader Louis Joliet and Jesuit priest Fr. Marquette
Who led the next expedition down the Mississippi? Why?
Rene Robert Cavelier Sieur de La Salle wanted to establish a fort at the mouth of the Mississippi to control North America’s fur trade.
Why is April 9, 1682 significant?
La Salle and his companions reached the mouth of the Mississippi River, and claimed all land drained by the river in the name of the French King (Louisiana)
Despite LaSalle’s initial success, how did he not achieve France’s ultimate goal?
He was not able to find the mouth of the Mississippi from the Gulf of Mexico.
