Unit 2: Plantation Tourism (TleG3_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 vlog made by a historian. It is about Oak Alley Plantation, located in Vacherie, Louisiana, along the Mississippi River. The historian is introducing its history. The name of the plantation comes from the two rows of oak trees in front of the building. The crop that was cultivated there was sugar. The plantation was known as being the best sugar plantation in Louisiana and was nicknamed the “Jewel in the crown” of the Sugar Bowl. On top of that, the landowner was called the “king of Sugar”. Sugar was a very intense labor for slaves as it takes couple months to grow. Besides, the sugar had to be crushed and boiled several times.

On the estate, there is the Big House where the slave owner used to live with his family. The kitchen was out of the house in case it would be caught in fire so that the house would be spared. And further away, there are the slave quarters. There were six of them, behind the kitchen far away from the Big House. Slaves would live in small cabins there made of wood.

Homework: Learn the lesson.