I am from Louisiana and sometimes I like to use my home state as
a jumping off point for a blog post. 2012 brings a perfect
opportunity, because it is Louisiana’s Bicentennial. On April
30, 1812 Louisiana was admitted as a state into the Union. For a
little historical background on the years before Louisiana
became a state, I want to go back to the early years of Europe’s
interest in what is now Louisiana. Beginning with the French,
land in the the new world was claimed by Renee-Robert Cavelier,
Sieur de La Salle in the late 17th century in the name of King
Louis XIV of France. This territory would become part or all of
many modern day states, including Louisiana, Mississippi,
Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois,
Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, and South
Dakota. A few years after La Salle, Louis XIV sent Pierre Le
Moyne d’Iberville to further advance French interests. Later he
sent d’Iberville’s brother Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville,
and it was he who es