How did Florida become a State

Florida was perhaps the first place in what is now the United States to have been reached by European settlers in 1513. The state was named for its verdant landscape by Spanish explorers. Over the next few centuries, Florida was mostly controlled by the Spanish Empire, although British control occurred between 1763-1783. In the early 19th century, Florida was controlled by the Spanish again but became a region the United States saw as problematic as it became a refuge for runaway black slaves and native Seminoles began to raid parts of the United States from the area. Soon this led to clashes and the beginning of how Florida became incorporated into the United States.

The First Seminole War

In 1763, during the period of British rule in Florida, the region that became the state was divided into two administrative areas, East and West Florida. The Apalachicola River was used as a dividing line and the region was seen as too large to be administered by one local government. In the early 1800s, Florida became a refuge for runaway slaves. Florida had no slavery policy and slaves saw Florida as a good refuge. Over time, as more slaves ran away to Florida, the Black Seminoles developed into another cultural group through . While some Seminoles did keep slaves, Black Seminoles and other slaves were generally free to live where they wanted, although they often lived separately from Seminole settlements. Since the 17th century, black slaves were running away to Florida to escape plantations to the north and over time many black slaves intermarried with Seminoles and other native groups. The continued practice of slaves finding refuge in Florida served as one motivation for the First Seminole War. The second key motivation were raids by Seminoles, although farmers and militia from southern states also raided Florida. The First Seminole War was effectively cross-border raids and an invasion led by Andrew Jackson between 1816-1819, with the conflict having no clear date when it actually began. The United States had wanted to acquire Florida during the time of the War of 1812. In fact, a detachment of soldiers had occupied St. Augustine, causing tensions with Spain. Black Seminoles had fought US soldiers and militia who had invaded, fearing they would take away their relatively greater freedom in Florida. A fort was created in northern Florida to help defend the territory and the so-called Scott Massacre of civilians, committed by native Creeks who were in conflict with the United States, and soldiers started the war that led to the invasion of Florida by Andrew Jackson. Jackson led a series of raids in 1818 against civilians and various native tribes. The militia and military unit Jackson led did not discriminate who they attacked and in May 1818 his forces took Pensacola, what was the capital of West Florida. Eventually Jackson withdrew after he was condemned within the United States and abroad. During the time of the conflict, the US had been in negotiation to acquire Florida and for a while the actions by Jackson caused Spain to stop negotiations. The conflict also left a stain on Jackson's reputation for having executed two British citizens without adequate trial.