Florida Territory - American Involvement Pre-1821

American Involvement Pre-1821

In 1812 United States forces and Georgia "patriots" under General George Matthews invaded Florida to protect American interests. These interests were mostly slave related. Runaway slaves had been given protection by the Florida natives, called Seminoles by Americans, for many years. They lived in a semi-feudal system; the Seminoles giving the now "free" blacks protection, while the former slaves shared crops with the natives. Although the escaped slaves were still considered inferior by the Seminoles, the two parties lived in harmony. The slaveholders in Georgia and the rest of the South became furious over this matter as slaves continued to escape to Florida. This invasion of Florida was perceived by most of the country as ill-advised and the Spanish were promised a speedy exit of troops.

In 1818, after years of further conflicts involving natives and settlers, General Andrew Jackson wrote to President Monroe informing him that he was invading Florida. Jackson's force departed from Tennessee and marched down the Apalachicola River until they arrived at Pensacola; the Spanish surrendered fortifications at Fort San Carlos de Barrancas in Pensacola and at St. Marks.