The French Sun King, Louis XIV, reigning from 1643-1715, gave his name to the American state of Louisiana. René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle claimed the territory for France in 1682 and gave it the name La Louisiane. In 1721, German settlers, mostly from the Rhineland, settled along the Mississippi River in an area known as the “German Coast. “Close ties to Santo Domingo (Haiti) developed during the 18th century, based mainly on maritime trade and capital movements. Haitians exerted great influence on Louisiana politics, culture and religion. In 1791, a year after the Slave Revolt and the founding of the State of Haiti, about 1,300 Haitian refugees arrived in New Orleans. Continuing unrest in Pointe Coupeé and on the German Coast led to the entire slave trade being ended in the spring of 1796. It was resumed in 1800, but slaves from Santo Domingo were excluded. Louisiana was also part of the Spanish Empire as part of the “Vice of New Spain”. In 1803, US President Thomas Jefferson bought the French colony of Louisiana from Napoleon I for $15 million. The purchase is known as the “Louisiana Purchase,” which encompasses more than 2 million square kilometers that stretched from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico. This doubled the American national territory in one fell swoop. During the American Civil War (1861-1865), Louisiana was part of the Confederate States. Louisiana experienced its worst natural disaster in modern times in August 2005, when Hurricane Katrina severely damaged much of New Orleans and the surrounding region. Fertile soils form the basis for bountiful harvests of soybeans, cotton, sugar cane and rice. Cattle, hogs, poultry, dairy, and fisheries are important in Louisiana. The state is the largest producer of shellfish in the world (about 90%). Check topschoolsoflaw.com for brief history of the state of Louisiana.