Week 16 of 32 • Page 4
ACROSS
3. a rallying term used by
those who are for a cause;
a cry or slogan
6. a person who worked to
get rid of slavery in 19thcentury America
7. shelter for protection
8. an old method of ending a
quarrel (Two men walked
10 paces with backs
facing and then they
turned and shot.)
9. a person experienced
and/or involved in the art
of government
Week 16 of 32 • Page 1
DOWN
®
1. a discussion, often heated,
in which differences
of opinion are expressed
2. a document that holds a
governing collection of
rules for an organization
4. a formal conference of
members representing a
group
This week’s words
and phrases for the
crossword puzzle can be
found on pages 1-3 in
this newspaper. Good
luck searching for them!
(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1)
events celebrating the history of our state. As time goes on,
there will be even more events planned to celebrate Florida
Heritage Month.
The Secretary of State Kurt S. Browning said, “Come and
celebrate Florida’s spirit! During this time, residents and
visitors will have special opportunities to experience and
celebrate the wealth of historical sites, cultural activities and
literary programs throughout the state. This will encourage an
understanding and appreciation of
Florida’s commitment to supporting historic preservation, arts,
culture and libraries as important fiscal tools that create
economic vitality, quality of life and community pride.”
As you learn more about Florida’s efforts to become a
state, keep in mind that this is only one of the many great
events that have brought our state to where it is today.
(To learn more about Florida Heritage Month, ask a parent or
teacher to help you visit www.floridaheritagemonth.com/.)
If you’d like to make any
editorial comments about our
paper, please write to us at
[email protected].
Vol. 12 Issue 2
Second Quarter
Week 16
Slavery Powers Kept in Balance
Think and Review Questions
1. Florida was
admitted to the Union
with which state?
2. Why were both states
admitted on the same
date?
3. When were both
states entered into
statehood?
4. Who was a very
instrumental person in
helping Florida
become a state?
5. What river is
mentioned in Florida’s
state song?
6. Who was Henry Box?
7. Did Stephen Foster
ever visit the
Suwannee River?
8. How are Martin and
Palm Beach Counties
similar?
9. What is the reputation
of the Zebra LongWing Butterfly?
T
here is a 51st state of the
United States of America. To
add balance to the state’s new
constitution, they are calling a
special Congress of all different
age groups to be represented.
After a statewide election, all
the other students of your grade
level elect you to represent them
at the Constitutional Convention of the new state.
After carefully considering, you decide the most important
law to pass in the new state.
What is your law?
Before you begin to write, think about what you want your
law to be.
Now write to explain what you want your law to be.
The movie “Titanic” cost about
$200 million to make, while it would
cost about $123 million to build the
ship in today’s dollars.
A weekly newspaper for young students of Florida history
Florida Statehood
THIS WEEK
Statehood
• Slavery
• Martin and Palm Beach
Counties
• Song of the Suwannee
• Zebra Long-Wing
Butterfly
Well, here we are! This is the week you’ve been waiting for. In this issue, after hundreds
of years of Spanish, French and English conflict, the great territory of Florida finally
became the great state of Florida. This was a day to be proud of and a day of
controversy. Come look as we travel through time into history....
O
n March 3, 1845, almost 70
years after the United States
declared independence from
England, Congress decided that not
one, but two, great territories could
become states. Why two at once?
That’s a simple question, but the
answer isn’t so simple.
At this time, America was still a
very young country. Like most
youngsters, it was going through some
growing pains and making some
mistakes. About half the country was
opposed to slavery, while the other
half was in the habit of depending
upon slavery to make a living.
In 1693, the king of Spain freed
African slaves in the Florida territory,
but slavery had long since moved
south to Florida by the time the
United States took it over as a
territory in 1822. The Union became
worried that one more slave state
would give slave owners too much
power in the government. They tried
to solve this problem by granting
statehood to two different territories at
the same time: the slave-holding state
of Florida and the free state of Iowa.
What a balance! The politicians in
Washington, D.C., were able to
breathe easy for a while. But what was
happening here in Florida?
The road to statehood for Florida
had not been a smooth one. There was
a great deal of controversy (heated
discussion). People argued about
everything, from where the state
capital should be to what hotels to
stay in during the government
conferences. But once the arguing was
over, our state wound up smelling like
a rose, with senators and representatives
speaking for us in the U.S. government
and a terrific state song as a bonus.
Iowa didn’t have it easy either.
Even though Congress agreed to let
them become a state at the same time
as Florida, arguments over boundaries
kept that from happening until
December 1846.
So strap yourselves in and get
ready for a ride! This week’s issue is
about music, animals, flags, duels,
rules, mighty men, refugees and
important decisions. Hang on!
Citizens everywhere celebrated with parades and festivals.
Florida Heritage Month
F
To learn more about the
people, places and topics
discussed in this week's
issue, visit the following Web sites with a parent or teacher:
Learn more about Stephen Foster:
• http://www.floridastateparks.org/stephenfoster
Learn more about butterflies:
• http://butterflywebsite.com
lorida became a state on March 3, 1845.
Since then, our state has been through
many exciting changes. Our state has a long
and interesting history, but most Floridians are
too busy living life as it is today to take the
time to stop and remember what happened in
the past. That is why the previous Governor
Jeb Bush and Secretary of State Glenda E.
Hood decided to proclaim March 15–April
15, 2004, as the first ever Florida Heritage
Month. Ever since, March 15–April 15 has
been set aside as a special time to honor
Florida’s great history.
Florida Heritage Month is a time to
celebrate Florida’s great spirit and history. The
governor and the secretary of state set this
month aside because they were worried that
many adults and children living in our state
had forgotten the great events in Florida’s
history. Both of these government leaders
thought it was important to remind the
citizens of our state of past events that have
made our state what it is today.
During Florida Heritage Month, Floridians
are invited to visit our state’s historical sites,
museums and libraries to learn more about
our state’s history. Many of these places have
prepared special exhibits as part of Florida
Heritage Month. There are art exhibits with
paintings and sculptures of great events in
Florida history.
There are also
special lectures, or
talks, given by
people who study
the history of our
state. Librarians will
even help you find
interesting books
Florida Heritage Month
and articles about
celebrates all of the
almost any topic in
many cultures in Florida.
Florida history.
This special month is also a time for the
citizens of Florida to enjoy plays and musical
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 4)
Florida’s Statehood
Week 16 of 32 • Page 2
When Florida became a state, slavery was one of the most important and
controversial issues.
Statesman for the State
Have you ever heard of a man named
David Levy Yulee? Levy County and
the city of Yulee are both named after
him. Some people say he is more
responsible than anyone else for
Florida’s statehood. He had a dream and
worked to make it happen.
Yulee was responsible for
constructing Florida’s first cross-state
railroad. He wrote letters and speeches
that kept East and West Florida united.
He was so convincing that he persuaded
people throughout the Union that
Florida would make an amazing state
and as we all know, he was definitely
right!
Senator of Florida
David Levy Yulee
(1810–1886)
how Florida should become
a state.
When Florida became a
state, David Yulee became
one of the new state’s
senators and was also the
first Jewish person elected to
the U.S. Senate.
We’re not trying to
Florida leaders argued and argued
about whether there should be one or
make a pun here, but
two states. West Florida tried pretty
you’ll be hearin’ more
hard to get admitted to the Union with
about Yulee in the next
Alabama.
Florida Studies Weekly!
representatives) feared the
The Magic Number
How many people does it take to make
a state? Well, in the early 1800s, no
territory could be made a state without
at least 47,700 citizens. That’s enough
people to fill about four baseball
stadiums. That may seem like a ton, but
right now, Florida has more than 15
million citizens—enough to fill more
than 1,000 baseball stadiums!
David’s father made a fortune
selling timber in the
Caribbean and then
East vs. West
bought 50,000 acres
of land to create a
It seems to come up in nearly every
town for Jewish
issue of Florida Studies Weekly, but
settlers. Because
here it goes again: While looking at
David Yulee didn’t
Florida history, it’s important to
need to worry about
remember that Florida was divided
money, he traveled,
into two colonies for years and years,
making those
but northerners who controlled
speeches about
Congress (a gathering of
David Levy Yulee
Song of the
Suwannee
Way down upon the
Swanee River, far, far away,
There’s where my heart is turning ever,
There’s where the old folks stay.
All up and down the whole creation,
Sadly I roam,
Still longing for the old plantation,
And for the old folks at home!
T
hat’s the first verse
of a special song. Why
is it so special? Do you
want a hint? “Swanee” is
short for “Suwannee,”
which is one of our state rivers. It’s also special
because it’s Florida’s official state song! It was
written by Stephen Foster, one of the most
famous songwriters in all of the world. He wrote
about 200 songs, including “Hard Times,” “I Dream
of Genie with the Light Brown Hair,” “Beautiful
Dreamer” and about 196 more! Here’s a secret:
Even though Foster wrote a terrific Florida song,
he never visited our state during his lifetime!
Martin and
Palm Beach Counties
I
f you lived 100 years ago, you
might have traveled a long way
just to enjoy a pineapple from
Martin County. Sadly, there was a
huge frost in 1895 that killed off
the entire pineapple industry. That’s
too bad, but you can probably still
find pineapples in
Martin County
grocery stores.
Today, Martin
County, with Stuart
as its county seat,
is a beautiful
Coastal Region and
home to the Hobe
Sound National
Wildlife Refuge.
It’s a great place
for animals and
people alike!
development of two slave
states. Florida leaders
argued and argued about
whether there should be
one or two states. In
fact, West Florida
tried pretty hard to
get admitted to the
Union as part of
Alabama,
instead of
joining
with East
Florida.
The
arguments
lasted
right up
until the
time Florida
became one state.
Waving in the Lonely
Breeze
Doesn’t a flag
say something
about a place?
Look at an
American flag
and you see a
stripe for each
one of the 13 original
colonies and a star for each
of the 50 states. Did you
know that Florida has its very
own flag? You bet! In fact, our
great state has gone through a
couple of different
Making a constitution was a little like
making “club rules.” If you were in charge
of a whole state, what would your rules be?
Palm Beach, right next to
Martin County, is Florida’s largest
county. If you can remember the
name of the county, you can
remember the name of its county
seat: West Palm Beach. Many
people visit this county’s beachside cities and
towns. Farther
inland, Palm
Beach County
has thousands of
square miles of
wetlands and
wildlife refuges
(shelters for
protection).
Both of these
counties are
definitely worth
visiting!
© Florida Studies Weekly • Toll free phone (866) 311-8734 • Fax (801) 785-5511 • For pricing information go to www.studiesweekly.com • For ordering information or questions e-mail [email protected] • For editorial comments and feedback email [email protected] • Material in this publication may not be reproduced for sale in print or electronic format. © 2009 American Legacy Publishing, Inc.
flags over the years. Florida’s
first flag had stripes of blue,
orange, red, white and green.
Also, Florida’s state
motto, or slogan, was
written on the flag. It
said, “Let Us
Alone!” Pretty
friendly, eh?
Today, our state
motto is “In
God We Trust.”
Needless to say,
we’ve made a few changes over
the years.
House Rules
If you were in charge of a whole
state, what rules or laws would
you make? Would you make
rules about copying homework?
Would you make everyone take
turns on the Game Cube?
Deciding the laws of a new
state must be a tough job.
Florida’s first constitution
has some interesting
rules. Here’s one
example: No one who had
ever fought a duel to end a
quarrel could hold a position in
the state government! Would you
have thought of that if you were
in charge? Politicians (those who
were involved in
government)
decided what
property was
taxable. They
decided what was
required to be a
senator, judge,
Why did Stephen Foster
change the real name of
the Suwannee River to
“Swanee” in the song?
_______________________________
_______________________________
_______________________________
_______________________________
_______________________________
_______________________________
This question is meant as an enrichment activity.
Extra research is required. Your teacher has the
answer in the Teacher Edition of this paper.
Week 16 of 32 • Page 3
governor and so much more.
Once it was decided, all these
rules made a constitution, or
document that governed the
people.
Henry “Box” Brown
Henry “Box” Brown was a very
determined and clever slave
living in Virginia in 1856. He
ordered a 3-foot-by-2-foot-by-8foot box to be built. After filling
the box with a jug of water,
some biscuits and a bar with
which to open it, he climbed
inside. A friend addressed the
box to an abolitionist (someone
who believed in freeing slaves
and worked to achieve this in the
19th century) in Philadelphia.
After writing “Handle with care”
and “This side up” on the box,
the friend shipped him off.
Twenty-six hours later, Henry
“Box” Brown arrived in
Philadelphia, a free man!
Zebra Long-Wing
Butterfly
hich state has the smartest
butterfly? We
W
do! At least that’s
one reason why the
state of Florida’s
“butterfly officials”
chose the zebra
long-wing butterfly
as our state’s
official insect. It
has long black wings
with yellow stripes,
a thin tummy and
long antennae. The
butterfly’s bright
colors warn
predators of its
sickening taste if
eaten.
Zebra
US Receives Florida
from Spain
1829
2nd Seminole War
1835-1837
Florida Statehood
1845
3rd Seminole War
1855-1858
American Civil War
1861-1865
butterflies have an organized family
life. They return to
the same roost (home,
sweet home) every
night to sleep with
their family. The
oldest butterflies
(grandparents) seem to
have first choice of
where to sleep. In the
morning, the earlyriser butterfly gently
touches all of the
others to wake them
up. They are smart
butterflies! Now you
can tell people why
Florida’s state insect
is the smartest
butterfly in the world!