Is it fitting today to have a national park named after Jean Lafitte, a pirate, slave trader, and womanizer?/Anonymous portrait, held by Rosenberg Library, Galveston, Texas
Princeton University made national news the other day when it took Woodrow Wilson's name off its School of Public and International Affairs because of President Wilson's racist thinking. Might that prod calls to have Jean Lafitte's name removed from Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve in Louisiana?
After all, Lafitte not only was a pirate, but he was a slave trader, and some would add womanizer and even rapist to his resume, as well. But his aid to the U.S. government during the War of 1812 against Britain cast him as a patriot, not a pirate, and in some eyes a swashbuckling pirate at that.
According to the National Park Service, "(I)n September 1814, British military officials sought Lafitte’s help in their campaign to attack the U.S. from the Gulf of Mexico. Lafitte decided to warn American authorities and offered to help defend New Orleans in exchange for a pardon for his men."
"Although General Andrew Jackson, commander of the American troops, originally described Lafitte as a 'hellish banditti,' he finally accepted Lafitte’s help because of the ammunition, cannoneers, and knowledge of the area Lafitte could supply. The expert cannon fire of Jackson’s troops, including Lafitte’s Baratarians, contributed to the American victories during the New Orleans campaign that culminated with the Battle of New Orleans."
The following month, February 1815, President James Madison pardoned Lafitte and his men for any crimes they committed against the United States, the park's website notes.
How did the pirate's name get attached to a national park?
Well, U.S. Senator J. Bennett Johnston, a Democrat from Louisiana, was somewhat of a patron saint to Jean Lafitte National Historical Park. Johnston in 1976 introduced the legislation to create the park, and when he chaired the Senate subcommittee on national parks and served as floor manager of the Interior Department's appropriations bill he saw that the park was properly funded.
According to an administrative history of the park, naming it after Lafitte never really generated any uproar. Johnston simply deferred to Frank Ehret, who was viewed as the father of the park for his persistent lobbying.
According to Frank Ehret’s recollection, Senator Johnston took the stance that, if Jean Lafitte was a good enough name for Frank, it was good enough for the senator. The senator does not remember any discussion of a different name, and no other name was suggested during congressional hearings on the park bill. Only years after the park was established was there some scattered criticism of the name.
There was a time when the Delta Region Preservation Commission discussed a name change, "mostly because of concern that the public associated the name with the Barataria portion of the park only," but it never really caught fire.
In the 1990s National Park Service Director Roger Kennedy raised the question of renaming the park, but the superintendent at the time thought the locals favored the name and she didn't think it was worth creating controversy.
Might it create controversy today? What new name would you attach to the park?
Comments
I agree; however, again given the current national push to discard recast, outmoded, and sometimes prejudicially skewed celebrations of history, it might be a good time to ask the genuine descendents of that "Acadian" culture, who are now predominantly Cajun or Creole, or whether they might want to suggest a name that represents how they want their story told and how they want to be remembered to their descendents, among others.
Good thinking, Hump.
Why in the world would you even bring that up in todays climate. That is only fueling the fire. The rioters don't need any more to destroy. It was part of history, whether we like it or not. Leave that alone. We can't destroy everything that somebody might think is offensive.
Now, Brent, I've been trying to stay just as polite as I possibly could; but, now that you've gone and just outright urinated in the punchbowl, the real problem isn't that somebody is bringing this topic up in today's climate. The real problem is that we've spent too much time listening to bullies, too much time cowering in the corners and pressed against the walls so as not to impose on the spaces people like you seem to want to keep reserved for bullies, afraid to speak for fear of annoying bullies, subserviently sweeping these kinds of issues under the rug to appease bullies, allowing toxic and revisionist versions of history to be promulgated so that those false histories can continue to empower bullies, and letting, again, bullies redefine and characterize every effort to correct the record as some sort of riotous act of destruction simply because it might inconvenience the bullies. That's the real problem, Brent, and the only way to improve today's climate as you say is to recognize that real problem, address that real problem, and let everyone have a voice and a chance to participate equally.
While folks are at it, how about tearing down the Coliseum in Rome, and the pyramids in Egypt. Isis & Al-Queda etc. also destroyed ancient monuments that did not fit within their beliefs.
To the best of my knowledge, nobody is talking about tearing anything down anywhere at Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve. The only thing being discussed is changing the name and, although a name change might involve taking down one set of signs in order to either repaint them or replace them, that really doesn't constitute anything close to tearing down the Coliseum in Rome or the pyramids in Egypt. You may have either forgotten to take your meds or perhaps need the dosage levels checked. You seem to be spinning out, although the way in which you're spinning out speaks volumes about your prejudices.
If you look for the bad in people expecting to find it - you surely will.
This park is something of a mishmash in what it covers: a battlefield, a culture, a nature preserve,etc. Lafitte played an important, but probably not decisive role in one element of these. While I agree the name should be changed, I can't offhand think of one that captures its diversity.