Aim_New+Orleans+1940-1950

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1. Aim

2. Leia Trice

3. Mardi Gras, 1949, where the people of New Orleans were united through their differences in race

4. In the 1940s, New Orleans was strikingly diverse. However, segregation was still rampant within America, and New Orleans was not outside of this. The aim of New Orleans in the 1940s was unity through differences.

First, the settlement of New Orleans conveys their objective for unity through differences. Furman University states, "Although people tended to gravitate towards others of the same ethnicity, New Orleans was unique in that it remained very intermixed and multicultural" ("Immigration and Settlement Patterns, New Orleans, 1940"). Due to a historical "tendency," the inhabitants of New Orleans wanted to remain with their own ethnicity. Furman University conveys that New Orleans was sectioned in order to allow people of the same race to live together. For example, Jews, Anglos, and Scandinavians settled in the upper area of New Orleans. In New Orleans, people were separated by race. They were separated by the place they lived. However, they, as a community, lived in New Orleans. An "intermixed" and "multicultural" city. Thus, while race divided neighborhoods, New Orleans was still unified because everyone still lived in New Orleans.

Secondly, jazz conveys New Orleans intent for unity through separation. Jazz was prominently established by African Americans. They were distinguished for jazz; however, this did not separate the people of New Orleans. "Louis Armstrong and Beginnings of Jazz" shares, "In 1949, Armstrong accepted an invitation from the Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club to be crowned King of Mardi Gras" ("Louis"). "Louis Armstrong" is one of the most celebrated jazz artists of all time, and he is an African American. In 1949, he was the "king of Mardi Gras." Mardi Gras is celebrated by everyone in New Orleans. This festival unites the denizens of New Orleans, no matter their race. While Armstrong's race and jazz-playing separated him, he united the people of New Orleans and became the "king" of their unifying festival. He became a symbol of it. Therefore, while Armstrong was divided due to jazz, his popularity through it allowed him to symbolize unification for New Orleans.

All in all, the aim of New Orleans in the 1940s was to unite though they may be separated by race.

Work Cited "Immigration and Settlement Patterns, New Orleans, 1940." [|historyengine.richmond.edu]. Furman University, n.d. Web. 2 Apr 2013.

"Louis Armstrong (1901-1971) and Beginnings of Jazz." [|pbs.org]. American Experience, 1 Dec 2006. Web. 2 Apr 2013.