Event Recap

The Pelican State Goes to War Symposium

To mark the Museum closing of the special exhibit dedicated to Louisiana's WWII history, watch two musical performances and a presentation about Louisiana music during wartime.

The Museum celebrated the concluding days of the special exhibit The Pelican State Goes to War: Louisiana in World War II with panel presentations and a music performance. The special exhibit, presented by The Alta and John Franks Foundation, closes April 29, but then packs up to begin a statewide tour. It will be on display at the R.W. Norton Art Gallery in Shreveport from September until January 2019, then moves on to Lake Charles, Alexandria, and other Louisiana destinations.

This Symposium-concluding session, coproduced by the New Orleans Jazz Museum, celebrated the many genres of music made in Louisiana during World War II, and featured music from Bon Bon Vivant and Jourdan Thibodeaux et les Rôdailleurs, as well as a presentation by historian Charles D. Chamberlain III, PhD.  

Watch the earlier Symposium sessions here. 

 

  • Louisiana in WWII special exhibit, photo of soldiers learning field maneuvers
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    The Louisiana Maneuvers

    Americans like to think of World War II as a “great crusade,” but if it was, the country certainly didn’t seem all that fervent about rushing into it. Think of it: by the usual reckoning, World War II lasted six years, from the invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939, to Japan’s surrender on board the USS Missouri on September 2, 1945. US participation spanned less than four years of that total, a little over half the war. Of seven campaigning seasons, the United States missed the first three and was active only in the final four.

  • The Shreveport Times
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    Shreveport Under Attack: A Look Back at the Louisiana Maneuvers

    While military maneuvers train and test a force’s capabilities, they can also seem like an “alternate history” at times. Consider these fascinating front pages from September 1941, reprinted here courtesy of The Shreveport Times, describing the US Army’s big Louisiana Maneuvers.