There was once a time when almost half of Louisiana’s population were slaves. The state was notorious for curbing the civil rights of colored people, choosing to give them liberties such as an extension of voting and citizenship, but still limiting fundamental human rights.
One of the most interesting Louisiana facts is that after the Confederacy’s defeat in the American Civil War, Louisiana’s terrible history with slaves came to a close. But it didn’t improve overnight.
In fact, what historians call the Great Migration happened after abolishing slavery, with colored folks choosing to flee the state between 1916 to 1970. That’s a lifetime if you think about it. Most of these enslaved people and people of ethnic origins went to California for better jobs. It was the height of WWII, and there was a boom in employment for its defense industries.