Florida History Guide

Florida had been inhabited for thousands of years before any European settlements. Of the many indigenous peoples, the largest known were the Ais, the Apalachee, the Calusa, the Timucua and the Tocobago tribes.

In 1513, Ponce de Leon, seeking the mythical "Fountain of Youth," discovered and named Florida, claiming it for Spain. Florida's name comes from the Spanish word for flowery. Spanish conquistador Ponce de Leon gave it the name on April 2nd, 1513 in honor of the day he landed there, Pascua Florida, or 'Flowery Easter'. Over the next 400 years the peninsula remained in Spanish control though often only tenuously.

Over the following century, both the Spanish and French established settlements in Florida, with varying degrees of success. In 1559, Spanish Pensacola was established by Don Tristan de Luna y Arellano as the first European settlement in the continental United States, but it had become abandoned by 1561 and would not be reinhabited until the 1690s.

In 1763, Spain lost Florida to England through the Peace of Paris. The British divided the colony into East Florida, with its capital at St. Augustine, and West Florida, with its capital at Pensacola. Britain tried to develop the Floridas through the importation of immigrants for labor, including some from Minorca and Greece, but this project ultimately failed. During the Revolutionary War, Spanish troops entered Florida and repossessed the land by 1783. Settlers attempted revolution several times against Spain. During the War of 1812, Spain allowed Britain to use Pensacola as a naval base. In 1814, American troops captured the base. Other battles eventually led to U.S. control of Florida in 1821.

The Second Seminole War began at the end of 1835 with the Dade Massacre, when Seminoles ambushed Army troops marching from Fort Brooke (Tampa) to reinforce Fort King (Ocala), killing or mortally wounding all but one of the 108 troops. Between 900 and 1,500 Seminole Indian warriors effectively employed hit and run guerrilla tactics against United States Army troops for seven years. Osceola, a charismatic young war leader, came to symbolize the war and the Seminoles after he was arrested at truce negotiations in 1837 and died in prison less than a year later. The war dragged on until 1842. The U.S. government is estimated to have spent between US$20 million and US$40 million on the war, at the time an astronomical sum. Even after three bloody wars, the U.S. failed to force all of the Seminole Indians in Florida to the West.[8] Though most of the Seminoles were forcibly exiled to Creek lands west of the Mississippi, hundreds, including Seminole leader Aripeka (Sam Jones), remained in the Everglades and refused to leave the native homeland of their ancestors. Their descendants remain there to this day.

Florida was admitted to the Union as a slave state on March 3, 1845. Conflict over slavery led to the Civil War (1861-1865). Florida seceded from the Union and joined the Confederacy. Although most of Florida's coast was captured, Confederate troops won the Battle of Olustee in 1864 and protected Tallahassee and Florida's interior region. After the war ended, Florida was placed under military control. In 1868, Florida was readmitted to the Union with a new state constitution guaranteeing civil rights and giving blacks the right to vote.

Until the mid-twentieth century, Florida was the least populous Southern state. In 1900 its population was only 528,542, of whom nearly 44 percent were African American. It continued grew immensely during the early 1900s. Railroads expanded to Key West in 1912, opening new land for development. Swamps were drained and the growing tourist industry attracted people from all over the world. Citrus groves expanded throughout northern and south-central parts of the state. Florida's population grew considerably at this time.

World War II (1939-1945) provided several government jobs as military bases were established along the coast of Florida. After the war, many who had served in the military remained in Florida. Tourism continued as the state's leading industry and new industries diversified the economy, such as chemical, computers, electronics, and oceanography. In 1950, Cape Canaveral became a space and rocket center.

During the early 1960s, thousands of Cubans fled Cuba and settled in Florida. Racial problems increased. In 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled segregation of public schools unconstitutional. Florida began integration in 1959; by the late 1960s, most public schools had integrated and several new universities were built.

Florida's economy rests on a solid base of tourism, manufacturing, and agriculture. Leading the manufacturing sector are electrical equipment and electronics, printing and publishing, transportation equipment, food processing, and machinery. Oranges, grapefruit, and other citrus fruits lead Florida's agricultural products list, followed by potatoes, melons, strawberries, sugar cane, peanuts, dairy products, and cattle.

Florida Famous People

• Wallace Amos (1936 - ) Founder of Famous Amos Chocolate Chip Cookie Corporation; born in Tallahassee.
• Fernando Bujones (1955 - ) Praised as one of the finest male ballet dancers of the 20th century; born in Miami.
• Steve "Lefty" Carlton (1944 - ) Baseball player, born in Miami.
• Jacqueline Cochran (1910 - 1980) Pilot who organized women pilots during World War II; born in Pensacola.
• Gloria Estefan (1957 - ) Cuban singer and songwriter; raised in Miami.
• Dwight Gooden (1964 - ) Baseball pitcher, born in Tampa.
• Harry T. Moore (1905 - 1951) 1930-40's Civil Rights worker; born in Houston.
• Jim Morrison (1943-1971) Famous rock singer and leader of The Doors; born in Melbourne.
• Osceola (c. 1804 - 1838) Seminole Indian leader.
• Sidney Poitier (1927 - ) First African-American actor to win an Oscar, which he won for the movie "Lilies of the Fields;"  Born in Miami.
• A. Philip Randolph (1889 - 1979) Labor leader; born in Crescent City.
• Janet Reno (1938 - ) First woman Attorney General of the United States of America; born in Miami.
• Burt Reynolds (1936 - ) Actor made famous in films like Hustle and Smokey and the Bandit; owns ranch in Jupiter.
• Charles Ringling (1864 - 1926) and John Ringling (1866 - 1936) Co-founders of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, were born in the late 1800s.
• David Robinson (1965 - ) Basketball player for the San Antonio Spurs; born in Key West.