The American Press

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<p class="p1">It was on this day, April 30, 1812, that marked Louisiana’s entry into the Union as the 18th state in the young United States.

<p class="p3">This is an excellent day to fly our state flag and learn more about Louisiana’s fascinating history.

<p class="p3">It was also on April 30, 1803, that the negotiations between France and the United States concluded in the Louisiana Purchase Treaty, and signed the document.

<p class="p3">Louisiana was also the first of 13 states formed out of parts of the 828,000 square miles of land between the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains that were included in the treaty.

<p class="p3">The year 1812 was also a banner year for Louisiana because just two months after it was admitted to the U.S., the country went to war with Great Britain. That war culminated with the Battle of News Orleans on Jan. 8, 1815, which marks another historic date for the state. 

<p class="p3">Since the British didn’t recognize the Louisiana Purchase as legitimate, if they had won the battle they could have nullified it and the history of the United States would be a lot different. The Treaty of Ghent ending the war was not ratified until February, so the war was technically still not over.

<p class="p3">Here are a few other fascinating facts about our state:

<p class="p3">• René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, claimed the Mississippi River basin for France on April 9, 1682 at the mouth of the Mississippi River and named it Louisiana in honor of King Louis XIV.

<p class="p3">• The Acadians began arriving in Louisiana shortly after their expulsion from Acadia/Nova Scotia in 1755.

<p class="p3">• William C.C. Claiborne, born in Sussex County, Virginia, became the first governor of the state of Louisiana April 30, 1812.

<p class="p3">• France ceded most of Louisiana to Spain in 1762, and the area east of the Mississippi River to Great Britain in 1763.

<p class="p3">• The Louisiana State Capitol, which is 34 stories high and 450 feet tall. It is the tallest state capitol building in the U.S. It was also there, on Sept. 8, 1935, that Sen. Huey Long was assassinated.

<p class="p3">• The most destructive natural disaster in all U.S. history was Hurricane Katrina which caused 1,800 deaths, including 1,500 in New Orleans, when it struck Southeast Louisiana on August 29, 2005.

<p class="p3">Learn much more about our state history at the many museums and historic sites throughout the state. 

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