The Second Spanish Period

The author is also the editor, Michael Gannon. The book, "The History of Florida”, was created by 23 historians along with Michael to tell the history of Florida. The authors that helped write this section are Susan Richbourg Parker and William S. Cooker. There is no issue of "perspective" in regard to the Anglo writings of the Spanish Government. The Anglos have a different belief than the Spanish Government. "David J. Weber observed that Englishmen and Anglo-Americans writing at the time of the Second Spanish Period "uniformly condemned Spanish rule." They saw only Spanish misgovernment, which "seemed the inevitable result of the defective character of Spaniards themselves.” more recent attention to Spanish-language documents questions that negative assessment.”(1). "These former British subjects joined Spanish soldiers and returning families, their slaves, free blacks, white and black immigrants from the United States, refugees of both races from the Caribbean, especially, Saint-Domingue (Haiti), sailors and opportunists of many nationalities, and Seminole Indians in the interior of the peninsula to make East Florida's Second Spanish Period the most culturally and racially heterogeneous era…”(2). "The role and power of the military and the Roman Catholic Church during the Second Spanish Period were diminished in comparison to the first two centuries,…”(3). The Anglos believed when the Spanish took over again there was going to be separated and pushed upon them because of the first two centuries. However, the Spanish did the opposite of that. Spain ceded both sides from a treaty the British signed for their independence to their 13 colonies. East Florida was Apalachicola River and East of that. The Spanish later moved it to the Suwanee River. The capital of East Florida was St. Augustine. East Florida was larger and comprised the bulk of the former Spanish territory. "Residents of East Florida participated in the Atlantic-wide economy that was fed by the mass production of the emerging Industrial Revolution. It was a period marked by the rise of the British navy and merchant marine and the lifting of Spanish trade restrictions. East Florida’s reliance on imports probably was in line with the economic activity in surrounding areas of both the Caribbean and the United States.”(4). They mainly imported, so their industry was mainly importation, they would import food. Their resources would be crops, some found riches in rice others timber, cattle, and corn. Late cotton was high in demand they switched some crops to cotton. West Florida was Apalachicola River west to the Mississippi River. West Florida makes up two-thirds of what we now know as the Florida Panhandle. The Capital of West Florida was Pensacola. Just like East Florida they did trades, they also grew crops and later changed to cotton. Because of the Treaty of Paris, Spain gave all of Florida to Britain. British captured Havana, Spain’s busiest port, in exchange for Havana the Spanish traded Florida with Britain. When the thirteen colonies were fighting for Independence, Spain came in and invaded West Florida and gain control. At the end of the American Revolution Spain took control of the rest of Florida. Spain's control of Florida had weakened and the United States bought Florida from Spain. The entire chapter presented a lot of Political, social, and economic influences. For political there were British, French, and Spanish soldiers occupying not East and West Florida. There were Indians, Spaniards, Britains, the French, and blacks. The trade between Florida and Europe provided economical opportunities. The soldiers followed orders and changed how the residents of Florida would see things based on their leader. There are so many different nationalities, which help create small villages throughout Florida. Some villages had all the nationalities while others were of one kind. The trade with Europe helped fund the different battles between Britain, Spain, and Eventually the United States. I found the most interesting is how many times Florida was traded off to eventually being bought out by the United States. 

 Here is a timeline of Events from this Chapter: 

1779 - Spain declares war against Great Britain. 

1781 to 1821 - 13 officers served as governors of the colony. 

1781 to 1794 - Colonel Arturo O’Neil y Tyrone was the second longest in service. 

1783 to 1821 - Panton, Leslie, and John Forbes & Co. had control over the Indians.

1783 to 1795- Spain and the United States had a dispute over land. 

1784 - Spanish rule returns to the East and west of Florida. Scotsman William Panton and his assistant John Forbes reached Pensacola. 

1785 - population was approximately 3,660. 

1787 - Spanish West Florida, in command by the governor-general of Louisiana. 

1790 -the king of Spain invited foreigners to settle in East Florida. 1793 - some residents of Georgia joined together to take over East Florida. 

 1794 - Governor Juan Nepomuceno de Quesada and his council of war ordered an evacuation for the area between the St. Mary’s and St. John’s Rivers. 

1794 to 1822 - Father James Coleman served as a priest in Pensacola. 

1795 - population was 8,390. The strike against Spanish sovereignty. Problems in Europe and the French Revolution pushed Spain to solve the dispute with the United States(Pinckney’s Treaty or Treaty of 1795). 

1796 to 1811 - Colonel Vincent Folch y Juan held office, the longest service. 

1803 - the United States purchased Louisiana from France. 

1805 - the United States acquired the Indian's land.

1806 - Father James Coleman was appointed the vicar-general and judge of West Florida. 

1810 - insurgents took Fort Baton Rouge, declared Independence, and created the Republic of West Florida. 

By 1812 - the United States had annexed territory between the Perdido rivers and Mississippi Rivers.

1812 - The National Assembly (Cortes)of Spain enacted a constitution (the law of the two Floridas). James Madison’s administration supported actions against Spain's colony of East Florida. Invaders crossed into Spanish Florida, and they were encamped at the site of Fort Mose. 

By 1814 - the United States occupied Mobile, built Fort Bowyer, and a lookout on the Perdido River. 1814 -Spain’s King Fernando VII rescinded the constitution. The War of 1812 reached the Gulf of Mexico. British tried to attack Fort Bowyer, and the fort’s cannon destroyed one of their warship, Hermes. Die-hard adherents of the Patriot cause caused widespread devastation. 

1815 - The British attacked Fort Bowyer again and succeeded, this was the last battle of the War of 1812. 1817- Amelia Island was captured by English-born Gregor MacGregor. 

1818 to 1819 -Colonel William King and a Jackson appointee served as the civil and military governors of Pensacola and West Florida.  

1819 - Colonel José Callava became the last Spanish governor of West Florida. The treaty ceding the Floridas to the United States was signed. 

1820 - United States threatened to take East Florida by force. 

1821 - the treaty of cession was ratified by both countries. The Spanish flag was raised for the last time in St. Augustine. The last Spanish soldier departed from the city. 

Resources: 

(1) Gannon, M. (Ed.). (2018). The History of Florida (Ch. 10, p. 163). The University Press of Florida. (2 & 3) Gannon, M. (Ed.). (2018). The History of Florida (Ch. 10, p. 164). The University Press of Florida. 

(4) Gannon, M. (Ed.). (2018). The History of Florida (Ch 10, p. 168). The University Press of Florida.