Wacky Facts by Agent K #18: Did You Know Prisoners In Paris Were Once Offered Freedom If They Agreed To Marry Prostitutes
Paris, je t'aime....You have probably seen the specific meme on t-shirts, souvenirs of any kind, cabarets and posters. Heck, there's even a movie titled like this.
There's no doubt that people from all over the world love Paris and its rich history, as it is the most visited city on the planet.
The capital of Enlightenment, perfumery and fashion, hides so many stories within its walls, with some being really popular and some not so much. One such lesser-known story about Paris and its wicked laws is the Wacky Fact of today!
The Menu of the Day
Back in 1719, the French had the not so bright idea to hire Scottish economist John Law as Controller General of Finances of France. Famous for his radical and "liberal" ideas, Mr. Law soon realized that Paris had way too many prisoners. More than France could ever feed. So, he came up with a quite brilliant idea...NOT!
He decided to offer freedom to the prisoners of Paris but only if they would accept his two terms: a) to marry a prostitute, and b) to move to Louisiana in the United States of America. By modern standards, that would "translate" to a free ticket with Emirates's first-class cabin for you and your new pornstar wife.
Additionally, every newly married couple was offered land and provisions in the colony as well. What a DEAL, huh?
The Aftermath
Soon after the first ship arrived in Louisiana though, the prisoners with their "pornstar" wives realized that John Law was probably a bigger scumbag than them. No provisions, food, or shelter was waiting for them as they had been promised, while the place became quickly overcrowded with too many outlaws and criminals that created a very, very, very heated atmosphere.
Over the following years, Louisiana became the most violent and deadly state in America, while John Law back in Paris was desperately trying to prove how his "Louisiana Project" was a success story! Ummm, I think I've heard all this before...
The furious French authorities fired Law and forced him flee to Belgium, from where he moved to Venice spending the rest of his life gambling and sleeping with prostitutes. Isn't it ironic that he didn't pick Louisiana which he described as "Garden of Eden" for his final destination?
References:
When Parisian Prisoners Were Offered Freedom if they Agreed to Marry Prostitutes
Louisiana and France’s Forced Colonization Experiment
Yay didn't knew that , and these two will make the perfect family prototype ... lol good catch Agent K. !
I know right? ha ha...Ρουκέτα γίγαντα :)
I have to admit that Louisiana always had a different "air" from the rest of US, now I know why 😉!
It's all the French gangstas and hookers...They probably wore good quality French perfume too :P
Fascinating story. I have just been reading about another, more recent, French social experiment where the powers that be attempted to redress the depopulation of rural France in the 1960s and the overpopulation of the island of Reunion by forcibly relocating 'orphans' and unwanted children from Reunion to France. Once again, the recipients of this largesse were promised a land of milk and honey and found themselves in conditions tantamount to slavery instead. This crazy scheme lasted for 20 years, into the early 1980s, and caused incredible heart ache. It also caused all sorts of social and racial problems. Does anyone know of any instances where this kind of social engineering actually worked to the benefit of those concerned?
France, just like any other European country, shouldn't have any racial problems at all if you know what I mean, but that's an endless conversation that can not be done on steemit. Very informative comment. Thank you ;)
Ha! That's brilliant XD
Well, not so much in the end though lol
cheers, mate. Voted you. o/
Thank you mate! Just voted your last post as well ;)
nice work mate
Thank you mate :)
The french monarchy wanted to get back the money they invested in taking Louisiana , they wanted to squeeze as much profit as they could they would literally kidnap people from the streets, imagine being taken like that... horrible.
A very nice post about a forgotten part of history, good job. :)
Thanks mate :)