Excursion

The history of New Orleans is rich in the French quarter of the city, however there is a different story to be told just an hour outside of the city. An hour outside of the city lays the Carville museum which is the wealth of history and memories for the individuals who suffered from leprosy and were quarantined from the general public. The displays show what the lives of these people were like day to day.  There was a noticeable gap in the history of the lives of patients during the early years of the carville community. The only aspect of daily life which was included in history of the early years was the heart wrenching tales of children being torn away from the patients in the hospital to be raised elsewhere. I would like to know more about the early years for the people who had no choice in their admittance to the hospital, what was life like for these prisoners in this gilded cage?

The second aspect of New Orleans history that I had the opportunity to visit was the Whitney Plantation. The Whitney Plantation is unique in the way that it tells the story of slaves, and their lives on the plantation. Walking onto the plantation was heart wrenching, to see the memorials of the slaves that had passed through the plantation and the parish. There are few times in my life that I have felt disgusted to belong to the human race and this was one of those times, the evils that were inflicted on our fellow man in the name of ease and convenience is enough to induce vomiting. This city was a leader in defending the rights of those who had little to no rights in other cities in this country. Women and blacks had more rights afforded to them here than anywhere, but still the slaves on this plantation and many others were treated with no care given to their lives. These poor souls were treated with less thought to their well being than livestock. This great city was built on the backs of men, women, and children whose struggle and lives are finally being honored in many different ways.