Congo Square – The Birthplace of Jazz
Revelry in Congo Square
The status and culture of the colored peoples during New Orleans’ colonial period is one of the most interesting, yet overlooked, aspects of this jewel of a city. I am personally just starting to scratch the surface in my understanding of the sub-societies of the local slaves, free blacks, and mixed-race people here in New Orleans. But their story is so much more complex and unique than imaginable.
New Orleans, before the Louisiana Purchase and Americanization of the city, had a very unique social structure. Along with the black slaves owned by the European settlers, the city enjoyed a large population of free blacks and mixed-race Creoles. For comparison, the British colonies in North America took great measures to squash out the African cultural traditions of their slaves. Whereas in New Orleans, French and Spanish settlers never felt truly threatened by these African traditions, such as singing, dancing, voodoo practice, and African cuisine.
The locals in New Orleans even went so far as to codify certain legal protections for their slaves in the Code Noire (French for “black code”). This code governed many aspects of slave treatment, including work hours and working conditions. As part of this, the slaves here in the city were allowed to take off of work on Sundays, as the day of rest.
The primary area of congregation and socializing on the Sundays off work was in Congo Square. Congo Square sits just across Rampart Street from the French Quarter, in what is now Louis Armstrong Park. The square, during the colonial times, was the location where the local slaves and free people of color would meet up and have their epic throw-downs.
Congo Square Today, in Louis Armstrong Park
The music and dancing in Congo Square became the thing of legend. As did the amalgamation between the raw and untamed music of the African slaves being combined with the refined and well-trained musical skill of the free blacks. These two juxtaposed styles is what eventually led to the advent of Jazz, which is essentially classical music being “jazzed up” or improvised.
Over time, the prominence of Congo Square faded, but the city has preserved it’s location by reconstructing it within Louis Armstrong Park in the Treme. The Square today is home to the occasional music festival and weeknight concert. Next time you are in town, make sure to swing by and soak in a unique piece of New Orleans history.
