Creoles are an ethnic group with mixed, predominantly European, bloodlines. . .  yet that "predominately" caused problems in America.   While their language, a patois of French, Spanish, and English point to a shared, European heritage, their skin color and bloodline point to the southern regions of Africa and Caribbean (I fudged a bit about their language.  It includes some African and Caribbean words as well).  For mainstream Americans, Creoles represent the exotic (the women were noted for their beauty), a daring mixture of race and manners that both attracted and repelled them.

For their part, Creoles fiercely maintained an identity apart from what they considered the "lower classes," and would have fought anyone who mentioned the possibility of African or Island blood in their veins (see earlier remarks on race anxiety).  This desire to preserve their status may account for their attention and adherence to social manners and their inherently conservative philosophy. 

Yet while their manners were conservative, one of the main connotations of the word "Creole" is passion: as in hot-blooded.  For men, this meant that to cross one of them meant a duel under the oaks at dawn.  For the women, this meant that for all their quiet manners and beauty, they were a seething cauldron of hot love (how's that for romance novelese?).

Socially and politically, Creoles were prominent members of New Orleans society, moving in the "best" circles and often occupying political offices.