Abstract

In this thesis I look at the Pelican girls, one of the French government's first group of volunteers to travel to Colonial Louisiana. In the beginning I offer their history. It was the girls' understanding that in well-established towns eager bridegrooms awaited their arrival. They readily agreed to go; their journey to the New World was arduous. En route to Mobile, the ship on which they traveled for two and a half months caught the dreaded yellow fever. After their arrival, the colonial administration's animosity towards the girls increased as the tense relationship between the men and women became more evident. I believe the girls were unaware of pre-existing relationships between the Frenchmen and the local tribes--both on an economic and personal level. To describe the dual levels of the colonial plan I utilize a model: the Metropolis/Satellite theory. I believe it can be applied to two levels, the nation-state and colony level as well as the social stratifications within the colony. There is no doubt in my mind that the personal liberty of these women suffered at the hands of their government. Indeed, in their positions the women encountered not a few difficulties--disease, famine, pestilence--all in the name of la Gloire.