Firsthand Louisiana: Primary Sources in the History of the State
Edited by Janet Allured, John Keeling, and Michael S. Martin
About the Book
Firsthand Louisiana: Primary Sources in the History of the State brings to its readers a companion to the study of Louisiana’s history. Compiled for the first time in a single book, the dozens of important, interesting, devastating, and entertaining firsthand accounts cover Louisiana’s history from 1682, when Sieur de La Salle claimed the land for the French, up through recent controversies over the removal of Confederate memorial statues in the state. Read letters, speeches, reports, and diaries to learn how the Bayou State affected and was affected by such events as the Louisiana Purchase, the Civil War, the Plessy v. Ferguson decision, World War II, the civil rights movement, and more. Edited by experts in the field of Louisiana history, this collection also provides a fascinating read for non-academics who simply want to gain the perspective of the people—women, men, Native Americans, whites, African Americans, and many others—who created the state’s complicated past.
About the Editors
Janet Allured is Professor of History and director of Women's Studies at McNeese State University in Lake Charles, where she teaches courses in the history of women, Louisiana, and the modern United States. She is co-editor of Louisiana Women: Their Lives and Times, Volume 1, with Judith Gentry (University of Georgia); Louisiana Legacies: Readings in the History of the Pelican State; and co-author of a history of Lake Charles, Louisiana. Her most recent book is Remapping Second-Wave Feminism: The Long Women's Rights Movement in Louisiana, 1950–1997 (University of Georgia, 2016), and she is currently working on a monograph about southern Methodist women and progressive change.
John Keeling is an assistant professor at McNeese State University. His research and teaching interests include Louisiana history, legal history, and southern history.
Michael S. Martin holds the Cheryl Courrégé Burguières/Board of Regents Professorship in History at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. His research and teaching interests focus on Louisiana history, public history, and the history of the US South. The author or editor of several books of the Bayou State, Martin also serves as managing editor for the Louisiana History Association’s quarterly journal, Louisiana History.
Praise for the Book
“This excellent and long overdue source book is indispensable for everyone with an interest in Louisiana history. It provides a comprehensive selection of perspectives from Indigenous to immigrant, free peoples to slaves, working class to business and everything in between. The book covers a wide range of topics from economic, political, social to cultural issues from 1682 to 2017. The well-organized publication is an excellent resource for teachers and students and anyone else with an interest in reading first-hand accounts of what life was like in Louisiana’s distant as well as more recent past.”
Laura D. Kelley, Ph.D., Tulane University
"Allured, Keeling, and Martin have compiled a collection of primary documents covering the state’s past from Europeans’ earliest exploration to modern crises and controversies and are inclusive of often overlooked voices including the enslaved, native peoples, women, and laborers. The selections offered here will captivate, educate, and challenge students of history. Guided by informative headnotes and thoughtful discussion questions, this reader is an excellent supplement for any course in the history of Louisiana."
Elaine Thompson, Ph.D., Louisiana Tech University
"For any student of Louisiana History, from the professional academic to the college freshman, Firsthand Louisiana will be an indispensable primer. The writers and editors of this book have compiled a rich collection of documents from every time period and from every perspective—helping readers to more fully comprehend and fully appreciate both the intricate complexities and the joyful diversity of Louisiana’s past."
Patrick Gibbens, South Louisiana Community College
"Firsthand Louisiana is the most comprehensive collection of primary sources covering Louisiana’s rich history ever to appear in print. The wide breadth and inclusive scope of the selections will open the eyes of any reader to the multifaceted nature of the people who have called the state home. The concise Introductions provide excellent context and make this book indispensable for teaching, research, or simply understanding Louisiana better."
Henry O. Robertson, President Louisiana Historical Association
526 pages | Softcover | ISBN: 9781946160676