▲
British raiders along the
Florida-Georgia border during
the American Revolution
Florida in the American
Revolution
Next Generation
Sunshine State Standards
SS.8.A.2.6 Examine the cause, course,
and consequences of the French and
Indian War
SS.8.A.3.16 Examine key events in
Florida history and impact on
Revolution
Reading Skill
Identify Sequence Events in a sequence are
often connected by a cause-and-effect link. One
event causes an event that occurs next. This event,
in turn, can cause another event to occur. As you
read, look for sequential events, and then determine if they have a cause and effect relationship.
Remember, however that not all events in sequence
have this link.
Key Terms and People
bar
naturalist
James Willing
Bernardo de Galvez
FL2-2
During the French and Indian War, Spain had made the
mistake of supporting the losing side, France. In 1763, the
Spanish paid for this support. The treaty that ended the war
awarded Florida to Britain. British administrators looked
forward to developing Florida’s land into profitable farms
and plantations.
Florida Becomes Two Colonies
As a result of the French and Indian War, the entire Atlantic coast of North America, from Quebec to Florida, came under British control. As you have read, the Proclamation of
1763 barred, or prohibited, American colonists from settling
west of the Appalachian Mountains. The Proclamation also
split Florida into two colonies, West Florida and East Florida.
Pensacola and St. Augustine became the capitals of the two
Floridas.
The Apalachicola River formed the boundary between
the two colonies. The southern parts of the future states of
Alabama and Mississippi were parts of West Florida. The
Mississippi River was its western boundary.
The British needed farmers, traders, and artisans. However, the first group of settlers to arrive was the military. In the
1760s, soldiers and sailors made up a large portion of the British population. Their salaries were very important to the
economies of the two colonies.
Relations with Native Americans In order to encourage settlement of Florida from England and the British
colonies, the British tried to reach peace agreements with
the Native Americans. British agents held several meetings
with Native American leaders in East Florida. The Seminoles agreed to restrict their towns to the western side of
the St. Johns River. In return, the British agreed to keep their
Unit 2 Florida in the American Revolution
Britain Divided Florida Into East and West
UNORGANIZED
River
settlements on the eastern side, within 25
miles of the Atlantic coast. Similar meetings in West Florida did not go as well.
There, many Native Americans, including the Choctaws, had fought against the
British in the recent war. They resisted any
agreement that would encourage settlement from the British colonies.
Mississip
pi
FOCUS ON FLORIDA HISTORY: 1745-1783
GEORGIA
Pensacola
Key
ATLANTIC
OCEAN
Gulf of
Mexico
N
EAST
FLORIDA
British territory
Spanish territory
Capital city
0
0
In no one part of the British dominions is there found so
great a variety of trees, plants and shrubs as in East Florida.
–John Bartram, quoted in An Account of East-Florida,
by William Stork (1766)
The British government granted thousands of acres of land in East
Florida to investors. There, they hoped to build plantations to grow
rice and indigo. Early plantations used indentured servants as
laborers. These were often imprisoned criminals and unemployed
Londoners. Conditions were difficult, and many workers deserted. In
some cases they were replaced by enslaved Africans. Other attempts
to settle East Florida had similar results. In 1768 Dr. Andrew Turnbull
arrived with 900 workers for his plantation at New Smyrna Beach.
This venture lasted nine years before workers deserted. By contrast,
West Florida attracted colonists from other North American colonies.
In the 1770s, many settlers from Georgia and South Carolina established
themselves on West Florida’s fertile riverbanks. They used the rivers
to ship their produce to the Gulf of Mexico and onto market.
The Florida Colonies and
the American Revolution
St. Augustine
Apalachicola
River
Grand Dreams and Small Results Still, many people in Britain were interested in settling the Floridas. Glowing reports from travelers, especially those who
studied nature, such as naturalist John
Bartram, raised hopes and interest in Florida. Bartram reported:
St. Marys
River
WEST FLORIDA
100
100
200 Miles
200 Kilometers
05883_142b_EPS
British Florida
revised FINAL proof
8/20/03
Peace Conference
Florida’s Choctaws resisted
British attempts to reach
peace agreements that
would encourage settlement. Do you think that the
artist who created this
engraving believes the two
sides will be able to come to
an agreement?
Viewing History: Peace Conference
When the American Revolution began, the
Patriots hoped that the two Floridas would join
in the rebellion. But the Floridas remained loyal
to Britain. Soldiers made up an important part
of the Florida population. They had few of the
complaints felt by farmers and merchants in the
13 colonies. In fact, the Floridas became a place
of refuge for fleeing Loyalists from the former
colonies.
Each of the Florida colonies saw fighting
during the war. Captain James Willing led an
American force from Fort Pitt (now Pittsburgh)
Unit 2 Florida in the American Revolution
FL2-3
1746–1786
Even before he assisted the Americans,
Bernardo de Galvez had served Spain
well. At 16, he served as a lieutenant in
a war against Portugal. At 19, he was
sent to New Spain where he fought
against the Apaches and was twice
wounded.
He then returned to Europe, and in
1775 he faced combat again, this time
in North Africa. In 1777, he became
Louisiana’s governor.
Biography Quest
Why would a distinguished Spanish
official like Galvez support the struggle
of the Americans against colonial rule?
The Spanish Retake West
Florida
Spain entered the war against Britain in 1779.
Spain brought to the fight two centuries of knowledge of Florida’s lands and harbors and a military
force experienced in local fighting.
Seal of Florida’s House
of Representatives
▲
Bernardo
de Gálvez
FOCUS ON FLORIDA HISTORY: 1787-PRESENT
down the Mississippi River to raid West Florida. In
East Florida, groups of Americans fought against
British and Loyalist forces on both sides of the Georgia-East Florida border.
Galvez Attacks West Florida Bernardo de
Galvez, governor of Spanish Louisiana realized
that the defenses on the Mississippi River were
West Florida’s weak spot. In a series of attacks, he
captured the British posts of Manchac, Baton Rouge,
Mobile, and Pensacola. With the loss of these
settlements, West Florida ceased to be a British
colony.
By contrast, British retained control of East Florida until the end of the Revolutionary War. More
than 13,000 Loyalists from South Carolina and Georgia poured in. More than half of the newcomers
were Africans escaping slavery.
As part of the 1783 Treaty of Paris ending the
Revolutionary War, Britain returned Florida to
Spain. British control had lasted less than 20 years.
Florida’s System
of Government
Next Generation
Sunshine State Standards
SS.8.C.1.4 Identify forms of civic and
political engagement
SS.8.C.1.5 Apply rights and principles
of Constitution to citizens today
Reading Skill
SS.8.A.2.6,
SS.8.A.3.16
Compare and Contrast You have read
Check Your Progress
Comprehension
and Critical Thinking
1.Recall How did Bernardo de
Galvez help eject the British
from Florida?
2.Exploring the Main Idea
Create a cause-and-effect chart
showing how Britain first gained
and then lost its Florida colonies.
3.Analyzing Information
Explain why Florida’s Seminoles
might side with the British in the
American Revolution.
FL2-4
4.Supporting a Point of View
How might the history of the
United States have been
different if Spain had supported Britain instead of the
United States in the American
Revolution.
Reading Skill
5.Relate Events in a Sequence.
What events led to the American Revolution? How did these
events impact Florida?
Unit 2 Florida in the American Revolution
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Key Terms
5.Identify Explain the significance of
(a) Bernardo de Galvez, (b) James
Willing.
about how the U.S. government was created in
this textbook. In addition to the federal government, each state has its own government. One
way to remember and to keep track of different
government processes is to compare and contrast.
As you read this section, recall what you learned
about the Federal government and compare it to
Florida’s government.
6.Define (a) bar, (b) naturalist.
Writing
8.Though he lived only 38 years,
Bernardo de Galvez had an
exciting and eventful life. Use the
Internet to research Galvez’s life
and write a mini-biography.
Key Terms
lieutenant governor
ombudsman
Florida’s state government is organized much like the
federal government. Like the federal government it has three
main divisions-executive, legislative, and judicial.
A governor, elected by the state’s voters to a four-year
term, heads the executive branch. A lieutenant governor of
the same political party is elected with the governor. The lieutenant governor is second in command in the executive
branch, similar to the Vice President in the federal government. Top executive branch officials make up the governor’s
cabinet. In Florida, three cabinet officers are elected: the attorney general, the chief financial officer, and the commissioner of agriculture. The governor and the three elected cabinet officials act together to make certain important decisions.
The governor appoints the other department heads.
Responsibilities and Organization
of Florida’s Government
The legislative branch passes the laws that the executive
branch carries out. Like the U.S. Congress, the Florida state
legislature has two houses. The House of Representatives
consists of 120 members, who are elected to two-year terms.
The representatives are elected from relatively small districts
(a county or part of a county in some cases, more than one
county in others). The districts are roughly equal in population. The Senate consists of 40 senators, who serve four-year
terms. They are elected from larger districts, also equal in
population. Half the senators are elected every two years.
Florida’s judicial branch consists of three layers of courts.
At the bottom are county courts, with at least one in each of
the state’s 67 counties. At the next level are 20 circuit courts,
Unit 2 Florida’s System of Government
FL2-5
Reading Skill
Make Comparisons How do
Florida’s campaign finance laws compare
with those of the federal government?
Use your library to research federal state
and laws.
which handle more complex civil cases as well as more serious crimes.
Most of Florida’s jury trials occur in circuit courts. The State Supreme
Court is the highest court in the state. It has seven justices, appointed
by the governor from a list of qualified persons drawn up by a Judicial
Nominating Commission. When a justice’s term expires, voters cast
yes-or-no ballots to decide whether the justice should serve again.
How Florida’s Constitution Protects
Individual Rights
Like the federal government, Florida has rules aimed at protecting
people’s rights. The most basic rules are laid down in the Florida Constitution. That document establishes the principles of democratic and
limited government. First adopted in 1838, it was rewritten after the
Civil War to abolish slavery, and has been amended many times since.
Laws passed by the state legislature are another way of protecting the people’s rights. For
Viewing History: NASA Kennedy Space Center
example, Florida has a “Government -in-the-Sunshine” law that
is designed to shed light on how
Florida’s many layers of government operate. The law requires
most meetings of governmental
bodies at the local and state level
to be open to the public. The
meetings must be announced in
advance. Records of what was
said in these meetings must be
available to the public. In that
way, people can learn what public boards and commissions are
doing. Government officials are
considered to be servants of the
public, and this “sunshine” law
gives citizens a way to watch
over them.
Another type of Florida law
deals
with the financing of elecNASA Kennedy Space Center
tion campaigns. Florida laws rePresident Kennedy’s goal of landing on
quire candidates to file extensive
the moon led to the expansion of an air
force base on Merritt Island, Florida.
reports on who contributed to their campaigns and how
This base eventually became the
much they contributed. There is a limit of $500 on how
Kennedy Space Center. In the image
much anyone person or group can contribute to a single
above there is a satellite and a space
campaign. The Florida Department of State’s Division of
shuttle. What relationship, do you
Elections maintains an online database where campaign
think, a federal agency like NASA has
contribution information is made available to all citizens.
to a state government?
FL2-6
Unit 2 Florida’s System of Government
Getting Involved with Public Issues
When a class of middle school students in the south Florida city of
Hialeah wanted to eliminate drug dealers from local parks, they
thought new state law might help. They contacted elected officials at
the local and state level. It took a couple of years and a trip by four of
the students to the State Capitol in Tallahassee, but they achieved their
goal. In 2003, the state legislature passed a law expanding the drugfree zone around each public facility from 200 to 1,000 feet. The students (and their civics and law studies teacher, Jackie Viana) won a
prize for their project.
Perhaps you too have ide as about how local or state laws could be
changed or improved. In order to be effective, though, you must know
what level of government deals with your area of interest. You must
also know who represents you at that level. Within Florida there are
more than 400 cities and about 1,000 special districts. The districts deal
with such issues as public transportation.
A local library or community Web site can help you learn about the
layers of government that serve your local area. A good place to learn
about many issues is the state of Florida’s central Website,www.MyFlorida.com. It links to many government agencies and offers ways to
deal with such matters as renewing a driver’s license, getting a fishing
license,or checking county records.
Some state agencies have appointed ombudsmen, or special officials who help people with certain problems. In Florida, councils of
ombudsmen across the state carry out inspections of nursing homes
and serve as patients’ advocates. The state Department of Transportation has its own ombudsman to help people who have transportation
problems, such as disabled people.
SS.8.C.1.4,
SS.8.C.1.5
Check Your Progress
Comprehension
and Critical Thinking
1.List three ways the organization
of Florida’s government is similar
to that of the federal government.
2.List two Florida law that protect
the people of Florida and
describe how the laws work.
3.Explain why it is important to be
able to contact your government
representatives.
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4.Exploring the Main Idea
Rank in order the five most
important responsibilities of
state and local government.
Key Terms
5.Drawing Inferences What
kinds of abuses can arise if
government activities are not
open to public scrutiny?
Writing
Reading Skill
5.Define (a) lieutenant governor,
(b) ombudsmen.
8.With a partner, write a scene
between a Florida citizen and an
ombudsman about a particular
problem of importance to the
people of Florida.
6.Compare and contrast the
structure of Florida’s state
government to the United
States federal government.
Unit 2 Florida’s System of Government
FL2-7