A Little Louisiana History

We live in a very colorful state which is full of unique culture and history.
In the following sections you will find fun and exciting activities for you to do while learning more about Louisiana!

State Quiz   

1. The State Crustacean is ?

  A. Shrimp

  B. Crawfish

  C. Crab

  D. Oyster

2. Who is the current Speaker of the House ?

  A. Joe R. Salter

  B. "Jim" Tucker

  C. Bobby Jindal

  D. Taylor F. Barras

3. The state insect is ?

  A. Mosquito

  B. Wasp

  C. Honeybee

  D. Gypsy Moth

4. Select number of state Representatives in LA

  A. 100

  B. 50

  C. 200

  D. 105

5. The state mammal is ?

  A. White Tail Deer

  B. Black Bear

  C. Raccoon

  D. Nutria

6. In which branch of government is the House of Representatives ?

  A. Judicial

  B. Executive

  C. Legislative

  D. Senate

7. The state dog is ?

  A. Golden Retriever

  B. Catahoula Leopard Dog

  Blue Heeler

  Labrador Retriever

8. A bill can only be introduced by ?

  A. The Governor

  B. A Judge

  C. Citizens

  D. A Legislator

9. The state drink is ?

  A. Milk

  B. Orange Juice

  C. Water

  D. Coffee

10. To be elected to the LA House you must be a registered voter and a resident of the state for ?

  A. 2 years

  B. 10 years

  C. 1 year

  D. 5 years

11. The State reptile is ?

  A. Crocodile

  B. Alligator

  C. Loggerhead Turtle

  D. Lizard

12. House Members are elected for terms of ?

  A. 1 year

  B. 6 year

  C. 2 year

  D. 4 year

13. The state freshwater fish is ?

  A. White Perch

  B. Speckled Trout

  C. Catfish

  D. Redfish

14. The state bird is ?

  A. Hummingbird

  B. Cardinal

  C. Brown Pelican

  D. Heron

15. Legislators may serve no more than ?

  A. 1 term

  B. 3 term

  C. 2 term

  D. 7 term

16. The state flower is ?

  A. Rose

  B. Azalea

  C. Magnolia

  D. Petunia

17. The state tree is ?

  A. Bald Cypress

  B. Oak

  C. Pecan

  D. Magnolia

18. The Governor of Louisiana is ?

  A. Bobby Jindal

  B. John Bel Edwards

  C. John Breaux

  D. David Vitter

19. When did Louisiana become a state ?

  A. 1776

  B. 1800

  C. 1803

  D. 1812

20. How many different flags have flown over Louisiana since colonization ?

  A. 10

  B. 5

  C. 1

  D. 2

21. Since admission into the Union, there have been how many locations of the State Capitol ?

  A. 1

  B. 3

  C. 41

  D. 2

22. How tall is the State Capitol ?

  A. 20 stories

  B. 30 stories

  C. 27 stories

  D. 34 stories

23. The new State Capitol was built in ?

  A. 1896

  B. 1905

  C. 1932

  D. 1940

24. Which former LA Governor was shot in the State Capitol and is buried on its grounds ?

  A. Bienville

  B. Henry Claiborne

  C. Huey Long

  D. Zachary Taylor

25. To become a State Representative, you must be ?

  A. 18 years of age

  B. 21 years of age

  C. 30 years of age

  D. 25 years of age

See How You Did   

Louisiana State Capitol

The dream of Governor Huey P. Long, the "new" State Capitol is now a symbol of pride and history for Louisiana. Completed in 1932, it only took 14 months to build. The building itself stands on a 27-acre lot and cost a mere five million dollars to build.
If you get the chance to visit Baton Rouge, this magnificent building is a must see. The tallest capitol in the United States at 450 feet and 34 floors, the front staircase is engraved with the names of the 50 U.S. states in the order they were admitted into the Union.

The inside is just as beautiful, decorated with marble, bronze, murals, and sculptures. To get into both the Senate and House chambers you have to pass through beautiful bronze doors that literally weigh a ton each!
Ironically, Huey Long was assassinated in the Capitol in 1935, just three years after its completion. He is buried on the grounds of the building, and there is a statue of his likeness that faces the front of the Capitol.
Group tours are offered by appointment, and are available seven days a week from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Capitol at Night
Capitol under construction
Capitol Steps
Capitol under construction
Capitol Rotunda Ceiling
Capitol Chamber Ceiling
Capitol Chamber
Capitol Steps Closeup

Do you know all the cool places in and around the Capitol?  

For more detail, take the Capitol History Tour ?  

The Louisiana Legislature

Louisiana's state government looks a lot like our federal government. We have three branches: Legislative, Executive, and Judicial. The Legislative Branch makes laws for the state, the Executive Branch enforces the laws passed by the State Legislature, and the Judicial Branch makes sure these laws don't violate either our state or federal constitutions. We're going to focus on the Legislative Branch.

There are two groups of people that make up Louisiana's Legislature. One is the House of Representatives, the other is the Senate. Since we have two houses, our Legislature is called "bicameral." In the Latin language "bi" means two, and "camera!" means house. There are 105 state representatives and 39 state senators. They are elected to represent us every four years, called a term.

Every year, the Legislature meets in Baton Rouge, our state capital, to participate in legislative sessions. A session is when they get together to debate each other's ideas to improve our state. They write their ideas down, and we call these documents bills. If a bill gets the okay from both Houses, and the Governor likes it, it becomes a law.

In even-numbered years we have a Regular Session in which all kinds of bills are introduced. In odd-numbered years we have Fiscal Sessions in which bills dealing with money matters may be introduced. Additionally, each member may prefile ( file before session begins) not more than 5 bills that are not about money matters. Each member may also prefile an unlimited number of local or special bills(bills that do not affect the entire state) and 5 more fiscal or local bills once session begins.

We also can have Special Sessions. If the Legislature is not in session, and something happens that needs to be discussed by both Houses, the Governor, or the Legislature itself can call a Special Session.

Download our Activity and Coloring Books  


Activity Book Coloring Book
Activity Book Coloring Book

State Quiz Key   

Question # Answer Question # Answer Question # Answer
1 B 6 C 11 B
2 D 7 B 12 D
3 C 8 D 13 A
4 D 9 A 14 C
5 B 10 A 15 B
Question # Answer Question # Answer    
16 C 21 B    
17 A 22 D    
18 B 23 C    
19 D 24 C    
20 A 25 A    
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