Florida

About Florida

History of Florida

Archaeological finds indicate that Florida had been inhabited for many thousands of years prior to any European settlements. Of the many indigenous people, the largest tribes were the Ais, Calusa, Tequesta, Timucua and the Tocobago tribes. Juan Ponce de León, a Spanish navigator, named this new land in honor of his discovery of the land on April 2, 1513, during Pascua Florida, which is a Spanish term for the Easter season. From that date forward, the land became known as “La Florida.” Over the following century, the Spanish and French both established settlements in Florida, with varying degrees of success. Spanish Pensacola was established by Don Tristan de Luna as the first European settlement in the current United States in 1559 (its settlement was interrupted by a hurricane). Six years later, in 1565, Pedro Menéndez de Avilés established Saint Augustine as the first permanent European settlement. These two cities would come to be the capitals of the British and Spanish colonies of East and West Florida.

The area of Florida diminished with the establishment of British colonies to the north and French colonies to the west. Control of parts of Florida passed among Spanish, British, and American control. Spain finally ceded Florida to the United States with the Adams-Onís Treaty in 1819, in exchange for the U.S. renouncing any claims on Texas. On March 3, 1845, Florida became the 27th state of the United States of America. Florida seceded from the Union on January 10, 1861 and was one of the founding members of the Confederate States of America (CSA, also known as the Confederacy). Florida joined the CSA on February 10, 1861. After the fall of the Confederacy in 1865, Florida was readmitted into the Union on June 25, 1868.

Until the mid-twentieth century, Florida was the least populous Southern state. However, migration from the Rust Belt combined with Florida’s warm climate (tempered by the growing availability of air conditioning) made it a haven for newcomers. Today, Florida is the second most populous state in the South (behind Texas) and the fourth most populous state in the United States.

The USS Florida was named in honor of this state.

Florida

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