East Florida
 |
Map of East and West Florida in 1810. |
East Florida was originally a part of
Spanish Florida. Under the terms of the
Treaty of Paris (1763), which ended the
Seven Years' War, Spain ceded all of its territory east and southeast of the
Mississippi River to the
United Kingdom of Great Britain.
The United Kingdom divided the territory into two parts, East Florida, with its capital at
St. Augustine, and
West Florida, with its capital at
Pensacola.
Both Floridas remained loyal to the UK during the
American Revolutionary War. Spain participated indirectly in the war as an ally of
France and captured Pensacola from the British in
1781. In the
Treaty of Paris (1783), which ended the war, the UK ceded both Floridas to Spain.
Spain offered favorable terms for acquiring land, which attracted many settlers from the newly formed United States. There were several territorial disputes between the U.S. and Spain, some resulting in military action. An American army under
Andrew Jackson invaded East Florida during the
First Seminole War. Jackson's forces captured St. Mark's on
April 7,
1818 and Pensacola on
May 24,
1818.
James Monroe's Secretary of State
John Quincy Adams defined the American position on this issue. Adams accused Spain of breaking the
Pinckney treaty by failing to control the Seminoles. Faced with the prospect of losing control, Spain formally ceded all of its Florida territory to the U.S. in exchange for $5,000,000 in
1821 under the
Adams-Onís Treaty.
In
1822, the U.S. Congress organized the
Florida Territory, and in
1845,
Florida was admitted as the 27th state.
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West Florida*
History of Florida*
Spanish colonization of the Americas
