Staying in the French Quarter and found this lovely tour right in the heart of the Quarter and walked past this house without realizing this was even there! It was really amazing to see what lies right in the heart of this historic and festive district and still getting a realistic understanding of urban slavery. And at $17 per adult and $14 for students, military and seniors (under 8 are free!), this is the best bang for your buck in the French Quarter! (Honestly, cheaper than a 12" po-boy).
Judith was our tour guide, and the epitome of Southern charm and class as well as being very knowledgeable and patient with the questions and comments from the younger members of our group.
We were shown the opulence of the rich owners as a counterpoint of how the servants had to live. It could have been a Downton Abbey European manor with the upstairs/downstairs difference between the classes but with the unique 19th century American tradition of having enslaved people being the workers and servants.
Let's face it, slavery was as much a part of the growth of America (especially the South) as the steam engine was a part of the Industrial Revolution, and to deny or try to imagine that it wasn't is like saying that the Wright Bros. had nothing to do with airplanes.
Our family's takeaway was that at that time, everyone either had slaves or wanted them, because it was a status symbol and part the misleading system that the government supported at the time. We learned that even freed Blacks at the time owned slaves, which was eye opening. Was it right? (morally no, but culturally yes), and that the slaves that lived here were some of the highest ranked in slave hierarchy because they were domestic servants and were regarded as more skilled and valuable in opposition to field hands that worked on plantations.
This tour didn't make my kids feel bad about themselves because it was more about a time when these things were accepted and a part of everyday society. I am sure that there will be things that are common practice today that future generations will be embarrassed about, but the history of the Hermann-Grima House and its occupants are an important reminder of a history that we should accept, learn from, and try not to repeat.
To quote the kids, "Slavery was pretty messed up, but that tour was dope".