Tales of Cajuns, Creoles, and New Orleans decadence dominate both popular and professional impressions of Louisiana and have undoubtedly distracted attention from the region that arguably experienced the most dramatic pattern of development in Louisiana, if not the entire Gulf South. Louisiana's Florida Parishes, located in the southeastern part of the state, have endured a tumultuous evolution, including domination by every major power that invaded North America, exclusion from the Louisiana Purchase, insurrection and the establishment of the original Lone Star Republic, and some of the highest rates of rural homicide recorded in American history. The area was long neglected by scholars until some of its foremost experts came together to explore and recognize its singular identity. This volume is a result of that collaboration and consists of ten essays on the history and culture of this unique territory.

 

A Fierce and Fractious Frontier employs a comprehensive approach supported by provocative groundbreaking research to explain the difficulties of the past and suggest considerations for the future of Louisiana's Florida Parishes. It will stand as a model for the emerging field of southern subregional studies.

 

 

Samuel C. Hyde Jr. is the Leon Ford Endowed Chair in Regional Studies at Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond and the author of Pistols and Politics: The Dilemma of Democracy in Louisiana's Florida Parishes, 1810--1899.

ISBN: 9780807129234

Paperback

232 pages

6 x 9

Illustrated, Index, Table of Contents

LSU Press, 2004