The History of United States
Florida Territory Becomes 27th State
England wanted to expand its colonies and began to threaten Florida in the 1700s, attacking St. Augustine many times. England, France and Spain were all fighting with each other in several parts of the world in the pursuit of growing their colonies. This conflict was recognized as both the Seven Years War and the French and Indian War.
In 1763 the Treaty of Paris was signed by England, France and Spain and it resulted in England gaining the Florida Territory. But when England formally recognized the colonies' independence (as the United States) in 1783, the Florida Territory was returned to Spain without clear definition of its boundaries. When they made the Louisiana Purchase from France, Florida was still without clear boundaries!
With numerous boundary disputes, Spain's claim to Florida grew shaky. American settlers moved in and began to resist Spanish control. After years of border arguments, Spain finally agreed to cede the Florida territory to the U.S. in 1819 by terms of the Adams-Onis Treaty, signed by Spanish Minister Luis de Onis and U.S. Secretary of State, John Quincy Adams. Spain ceded Florida to the United States in exchange for $5 million.
In 1830, the Indian Removal Act was passed and as settlement increased, pressure grew on the United States government to remove the Indians from their lands in Florida. The free blacks and Indian slaves, Black Seminoles, living near St. Augustine, fled to Havana, Cuba to avoid coming under U.S. control. Some Seminoles also abandoned their settlements and moved further south.
Florida was admitted to the Union in march 3, 1845.
