Jackson Square, New Orleans, Louisiana USA by T. E. Smith-Lamothe

Canon G7

Jackson Square is viewed from the podium near the Mississippi River levee. This is one of the grandest plazas in the USA, due in part to the influence of the Spanish and French colonists who took turns ruling Louisiana as a colony --- until Napoleon sold it to the USA through the efforts of Thomas Jefferson in 1803. Napoleon needed the money to finance his European campaigns and Jefferson wanted the young nation to expand into the territories secured by his Louisiana Purchase. Here, in Jackson Square, the transfer of governments was carried out amidst much pomp and fanfare. It wasn't until 1814, when General Andrew Jackson saved the city (along with local help from the pirate Jean LaFitte) from the invading British that the square was named in his honour. Later, the equestrian statue of Jackson was made to adorn the centre of the plaza. Symmetrically, on either side of the French-styled St. Louis Cathedral are the Cabildo buildings, built to house the Spanish colonial government when Spain ruled the colony. They now form part of the Louisiana Museum complex. Again, symmetrically, on the sides of the plaza are the two Pontalba apartments, which even today are luxurious apartments for the rich and famous. The alleys between the Pontalba apartments are frequented today by artists, street performers and fortune-tellers, and in the space between the Cathedral and the Square one is certain to hear the wonderful sounds of Dixieland Jazz all year round.