Unit 2: Plantation Tourism (TleG1_gr2)

Unit 2: Plantation Tourism

Axis 2: Territory and Memory

How can we properly pay tribute to the legacy of slavery through plantation tourism?

Oak Alley Plantation

The document under study is a vlog about Oak Alley Plantation, located Vacherie, Louisiana, nearby the Mississippi River. We can hear a historian telling about the history of the planation. Oak Alley was the biggest and the best sugar plantation in the South. It even had a nickname, which was the “Jewel in the Crown” of the Sugar Bowl. Besides, the landowner was also nicknamed the “King of Sugar”. The plantation was called this way because of the two rows of oak trees in front of the main building. The latter was called the Big House by the slaves in comparison to their small cabins the slave quarters. There were located further away from the Big House. Moreover, the kitchen was separated from the Big House, it was where the slaves would cook for the family of the owner. On top of that, the kitchen was outside the house in case of fire spreading the Big House would be spared. Sugar was an intense crop to cultivate, indeed it would take couple months to grow, then when they would harvest it, they would crush it immediately. Then they would boil it several times to get the sugar.

Homework: Learn the lesson.