Choosing To Bear Arms: Resistance and Identity Formation Through Louisiana’s Free Afro Creole Militia

This thesis examines how African and Afro Creole men utilized the availability of and demand for forced and voluntary militia service under French, Spanish, and American governance as a mode of resistance to discrimination and repression within the social structures of the region. The influence and connections built through militia service were engaged to protect and preserve rights, customs, and opportunities for the Afro Creole community. From the establishment of the Louisiana colony until the Civil War, African and Afro Creole men utilized the service required in defense of their new home to gain freedoms, expand their personal and community rights, and build networks with fellow active militia, veterans, and their families. Examining the usage of that service during each period of Louisiana colonial and antebellum history demonstrates the dominant influence that engagement in military service held within the community and how that shaped antebellum independence and activism that stood ready to step immediately into Reconstruction roles at local, state, and national levels. Regimes in Louisiana changed but the influence of Afro Creole militia service remained.