Blackness and Whiteness
Jackson Square was the ceremonial plaza of the original city. It was the citizen’s space: the white citizen’s space. The “back” of the Vieux Carré, at the other end of Orleans Street from the Cathedral, was the point at which many slaves arrived in New Orleans, because it was easier to get a boat into Bayou St John than to bring one up the river; and the slaves, unlike most cargo, could walk the two mile portage into the city. Later, a second public square was developed where the old portage was replaced by the Carondelet Canal. This square was given over to black slaves and free people of color to gather for dances and celebrations on Sundays, and came to be called Congo Square, after one of the dances commonly performed there. The white square at the front of the Quarter, the black square at the back: one way that space in New Orleans has been differentiated by race.