Introduction: urban order and racial exclusion -- A white colony in the age of "Africanization," 1790s-1830s -- A town of racial enclaves, 1840s-1860s -- Freedom and marginality in a divided city, 1860s-1890s -- Negotiating exclusion in the historic city center, 1890s -- Consolidating a white city center under US rule -- Conclusion: reclaiming urban space in the early republic