Week 11 of 32 • Page 4
ACROSS
3. a Florida county with
Milton as its county seat
6. related to atomic energy
7. East Florida has large
_____
9. The sun never sets on
the ____ _____
10. West Florida became a
major producer of
______
Week 11 of 32 • Page 1
DOWN
®
1. Western-most county in
Florida
2. the British governor of
west Florida
4. the French came to
Florida to escape
religious ________
5. Britain divided east and
west Florida at the
________ River
8. governor who
made friends with
words
the Indians
This week’s
and phrases for the
crossword puzzle can be
found in italics in this
newspaper. Good luck
searching for them!
A weekly newspaper for young students of Florida history
Vol. 12 Issue 2
One day, a science professor who’s a
friend of your family runs by you
and puts a strange bottle of liquid
into your hand.
1. The color of the liquid in the bottle is …
2. The smell of the liquid is like …
3. One very strange thing about this secret liquid is …
4. By accident, the bottle falls to the floor with a crash!
The liquid spills all over. The most unusual thing begins
to happen …
Using the Secret
Formula . . .
Think and Review Questions
1. Why did the British
come to Florida?
2. What does the saying,
“The sun never sets on
the British Empire,”
mean?
3. Describe what impact the
French and Indian War
had on Florida.
4. Describe the size of La
Florida in the 1700s.
5. What did the British do
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:
If you want to know more about indigo, you
can go to
• www.apl.com/boomerangbox/d110501.htm
• www.bell.lib.umn.edu/Products/Indigo.html
British Florida
• Florida Goes to England
• Santa Rosa and Escambia
Counties
• Indigo Plant
The British Are Coming!
6.
7.
8.
9.
to Florida to deal with
the large size?
Who governed East
Florida? West Florida?
Describe the differences.
How are the counties of
Santa Rosa and Escambia
the same?
Describe the character
trait of honesty.
Describe what the indigo
plant looks like.
Use the facts you completed above to finish the
following story:
My strange discovery of the secret formula came quite
by accident. It all happened the day I dropped the bottle
containing the mysterious liquid. My teacher had given
me an assignment to write about English Florida before
the American Revolution. The facts had to be correct. I
was struggling to write down what I knew when . . .
(Finish your story on a sheet of lined paper)
Week 11
Well, who’s going to colonize Florida this week? Last week, the French and Spanish
competed for that privilege. Each of those countries had a chance to be in charge of
our great state for awhile. This week, the eyes of merry old England are turned to the
Florida beaches!
If you’d like to make any editorial comments about our paper,
please write to us [email protected].
The Secret
Formula
Second Quarter
THIS WEEK
President Ronald Reagan is not only the oldest
president elected (he was 69) but also the only
president that was divorced.
The British Are Coming!
T
he French came to
Florida to escape
religious
persecution. The Spanish
came to kick out the
French. The Spanish set
up missions and tried to
convert the native
American Indians to
Christianity. Next came
the English. What on Earth
did England possibly want
with Florida? Well, “Earth”
is the answer. You see, they
wanted Earth (or land). It
seems everyone wants a backyard
that’s just a little bit bigger than the
one he has and the British wanted their
backyard to include all of the New World. They were
the ones to do it, too. Colonizing and conquering
faraway places was what this part of
history was all about and—believe
us—the British were the world
champions. In fact, there was
once a famous saying that said,
“The sun never sets on the
British Empire.” This meant that
Great Britain had conquered
different lands throughout the
world! The story of their coming
to Florida is a story of governors
and guns, romance and
revolution, wilderness and war.
So plug in your history
machine, strap yourself in and
wanted their backyard to
let’s go!
The British
include all of the New World.
Think You Know What a “Banger” Is?
D
o you ever eat bangers and eggs for
breakfast? Has your mother ever asked you
to hoover the living room? Does your little
sister wear her hair in
bunches? If you aren’t
“Put your
quite sure, then you
wellies in the
probably don’t speak
boot, dear!”
British English. The
English you hear
and speak every day
is known as
American English
and is different in
many ways from the
British English
spoken by people
living in England. In
England, they call
their sausages
“bangers.” They also
“hoover,” or vacuum, the carpet and they put
their hair in “bunches” rather than pigtails.
When the first colonists came to America
from England, they spoke English, just like
almost everyone in England. Over the years,
the English spoken in England and the English
spoken in America began to take on several
differences. Besides coming up with our own
unique accent, or way of pronouncing English
words, Americans also started coming up with
their own ways of saying things. New words
were used to describe foods, clothing,
entertainment and even hair styles. The
language changed little by little as both the
Americans and the British came up with
different words for the same things.
For example, if you lived in England today,
you would eat “chips” (fries) with your burgers
and you would ask your mother for an “ice
lolly” (popsicle) if the weather was warm.
When it rained, you would wear your “wellies”
(rain boots) and you would put them in the
“boot” (trunk) of the car when the rain stopped.
Even though English is spoken in both
England and America, it is easy to see that
there are many differences between the
languages spoken in these two countries.
Breaking away from England gave Americans a
separate country, a separate government and
even a separate and special language. We still
understand each other, but the way we use our
languages makes both countries unique.
(To learn more interesting differences
between British and American English, ask a
parent or teacher to help you look at “A
Handbook of British-English Words and
Phrases” at
www.teachervision.com/tv/features/dictionary.h
tml.)
British Florida
Week 11 of 32 • Page 2
Ogelthorpe’s Battle on
the Castillo
Florida: Going, Going and
Gone to England
I
The year was 1763. The colonization business
was really booming (going well), but Spain was
in a tight spot. Its Florida colony was completely
surrounded by French and British land. The
n 1740, General James Ogelthorpe, governor
of the Georgia Colony, located in present-day
Georgia, attacked St. Augustine by land. The
British navy attacked by sea and shot canons at
Fort Castillo de San Marcos for more than a
month. The residents of St. Augustine were safe
inside the fort, but their food was becoming
scarce. Florida’s governor, Manual de
Montiano, wrote letters to the King of Spain to
send supplies. Ogelthorpe’s soldiers were forced
to retreat. The citizens of St. Augustine
celebrated that the British were gone at least for
awhile!
French and Indian War
In Europe, France and Spain were fighting
England to keep their land throughout the
world. England wanted more and more land
and started to fight the French for land in North
America in 1754. Many of the American Indians
joined France to fight the British who were also
trying to take their land. Even though the French
and American Indians joined forces to save their
land, the British won the war.
stretched from the East Coast of the peninsula all
the way to the Mississippi River. Britain decided
Florida was way too big to manage as one
colony. They took a map and drew a line right at
the Apalachicola River. Everything west of the
line was one colony and everything east of the
line was another. What did they name the
colonies? How about Georgeland, after
the king, or maybe New World Central,
or Orangia, after the oranges brought by
the Spanish? Well, these men were
explorers and colonists who were
brave and hardworking, but they
weren’t very creative. They named the
new colonies . . . (are you ready for
this?) . . . West Florida and East Florida.
Tah-dah! What would you have named
them, if you had been in charge?
Week 11 of 32 • Page 3
West Florida
In 1764, West Florida went all the way to the
Mississippi River. It was much bigger than East
Florida and its capital was Pensacola. West
Florida’s first governor was George Johnstone.
Johnstone’s biggest challenges were the
colonists themselves! He once wrote, “In
Pensacola live none but drunks and idlers
(people who do not work), who corrupt
(mark with dishonesty and mistrust)
newcomers and who will delay for
a long time the growth of West
Florida!” He had plans to
attract Norwegians, Dutch and
New Englanders to the
colony. Johnstone thought
they would make better
citizens. His plans failed,
but he was able to
develop big business
by trading timber and
cloth
with
Louisiana. Once West Florida started making
money, everyone wanted to live there! West
Florida became a major producer of textiles,
among other things.
It’s a Hard-Knock Life!
Imagine you’re an immigrant to early British
Florida. How would you earn a living? Would
it be easy? How would you like it? Here are
some things to think about:
Maybe you’re a trader or merchant. You
might think that settling on the Gulf of Mexico
would mean that Mexico would want to trade
with you. Instead, day after day, no ships come
to your port.
Maybe you’re a farmer. You come to
Florida because the English government is
giving away free land. But you find that from
the coastline inland for many miles, the land
won’t grow anything.
General Oglethorpe
1740
French and Indian
War
1754
Life was not easy
in early Florida.
East Florida
British were ready to pounce on it any minute!
To make matters worse, Britain had already
conquered Spanish Cuba. The message from
England was clear. “Now, here’s the deal,” they
said. “We’ll give Cuba back, but in exchange,
you have to give us Florida!” Perhaps King
Charles of Spain spent a few sleepless nights
thinking it over. Perhaps King George III of
England wondered for a day or so if Spain would
really go for it. And then, the handshake—after
250 years of Spanish rule, Florida finally
belonged to England! France signed over more
land to make the deal complete. While the
Spanish colonists packed up to leave, you can
bet that King George slept pretty well that night!
That’s One Big Colony!
Anyone for Two?
Florida was huge when Britain took control. It
East Florida included much of the
land that makes up Florida today. It
was full of large plantations that were worked
mostly by African American slaves. The first
governor of East Florida was a man named
James Grant. He became the governor in
1764. He had gained fame and glory a few
years earlier by dealing with the Cherokee
Indians. How did he deal with them? Did he
burn their homes and crops, forcing them to
“make peace” because they had no food? No
way! When Grant was governor, he dealt
quite differently with the natives of Florida
(mostly the Seminoles). His policy was
simple: Treat them like friends and rely on
their sense of honesty and justice. What a
concept! And what’s more, it worked! Grant
held great councils (meetings) with the
American Indians. He gave them gifts. When
there were angry feelings, he talked things
over instead of starting wars. Now, that’s the
way to deal with people!
British Settle in
Florida
1763
What if you’re a doctor? Now you’re talking!
Florida sickness is at an all-time high because
of bad water and tropical fevers. In 1775, one
military group of 400 men comes ashore in
Pensacola in good health. Suddenly, they get
sick with yellow fever. After six months, nearly
half the men die!
Is there anyone who prospers in British
Florida? Sure, plenty of folks! But even after
250 years of Spanish rule, it’s still a rather wild
and untamed place. People who endure the
challenges of colonization with patience
eventually find it to be a great place to live. Of
course, we knew that already!
American
Revolutionary War
1775
Declaration of
Independence
1776
Honesty
n honest answer is a sign of true friendship.” —(Proverbs
“AHonesty
24:26)
is being truthful, sincere and trustworthy. Do you
try to choose friends who are honest with you? Have you ever
had a friend who lied to you or did something dishonest that
made you decide not to be his or her friend anymore? Have
you ever been dishonest and lost a friend because of it? It is
important that we are honest with others and that they are
honest with us so that we can trust each other.
Governor James Grant, the British governor of Florida, was
very impressed by the honesty he saw in the Seminole Indians.
He discovered that this tribe was very truthful with him and
that when they made promises, they kept them.
When dealing with the Seminoles, Governor Grant told
them that he respected their honesty and that he hoped they
would trust him as he trusted them. The Seminoles promised
not to attack the settlers if the settlers kept their promises
to leave the American Indians in peace and only settle on the
land that had been agreed upon.
Governor Grant was able to get along well with the
Seminoles because he trusted them and believed in their
honesty. As long as the settlers continued to keep their
promises to the Seminoles, both groups were able to get along
well together. Honesty between the two groups helped them
to live in peace.
When we are honest with each other and keep our
promises, we are able to get along better in our families, our
classrooms and our communities.
Santa Rosa and
Escambia Counties
et’s go west to Santa Rosa
L
County. The county seat is
Milton. If you have ever gone on a
road trip to see Texas, Louisiana
or Alabama, you may have gone
right through Santa Rosa. The
main highway to those states runs
right through this great county.
Santa Rosa has the beautiful
Backwater River State Forest, not
to mention terrific beaches! Many
people work at clothing, chemical,
gas, oil and medical
companies. You can
even work on a farm
if you want. Now
you’ve done it.
You’ve gone as far
west as you can go
in Florida.
Escambia County
was owned by Spain, France and
England before it was owned by
America. Its county seat is
Pensacola. This great town is the
home of the Blue Angels, the
Navy's amazing Flight
Demonstration Squadron!
There are many businesses in
Escambia County, as well. One of
them is a business that makes
parts for nuclear projects. Wow,
that’s high tech! They also have
healthcare,
chemical, publishing
and communication
companies. Both of
these great
counties have many
visitors because
they’re terrific
places to go!
© 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.
Indigo Plant
What do you think life
was like on the large
plantations in East
Florida?
_______________________________
_______________________________
_______________________________
_______________________________
_______________________________
_______________________________
_______________________________
_______________________________
_______________________________
_______________________________
This question is meant as an enrichment activity.
Extra research is required. Your teacher has the
answer in the Teacher Edition of this paper.
ave you ever put a blue outfit on
H
and asked yourself how it got that
color? Well, probably not. Today, you
don’t really have a problem. You go to
the grocery store or drug store and
you can buy artificial
chemical dyes.
But if you wanted a
blue outfit 100 years ago,
you’d have a problem.
The indigo plant is an
herb that can be grown
in Florida. It is one of
many species that come
from Indigofera. The
plants have a natural
blue color in their
leaves and stems.
It also has clusters
of red flowers that
look like butterflies.
It grows from two to
six feet in height.
The indigo plant likes warm climates
and can be found
growing in
mostly South
America and
Central America.
When the
first
explorers came
to America, they
were looking for
gold. They didn’t
find much gold, but the
rich Florida soil and
tropical climate were
perfect for growing
indigo. In the 1700s,
indigo had become one of the
leading crops. However, in the early
1900s, less indigo was grown because
it was replaced with artificial dyes.