War of 1812 & A Q re Florida

[Jinx]

Late in Cecil’s thread http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mwar1812.htm about who won the War of 1812, Cecil mentions that America had its eye on taking Florida from Spain (after the war). Yet, I believe it is Wikipedia, for one, that explains the British took Florida from Spain during the Seven Years War (French and Indian War). I’ll have to find a link to this, but what do the SDopers know about who held Florida? And, if the latter is true, why didn’t it join the other 13 colonies?

[Johnny_L.A]

Actually, that report was written by Gfactor. There’s a discussion of it here.

[bibliophage]

Since this is a comment on a Straight Dope Staff Report by SDSTAFF Gfactor and not a Straight Dope column by Cecil Adams, I’ll move this thread to the Comments on Staff Reports forum.

bibliophage
moderator CCC

[Spoke]

Spain held Florida at the time of the War of 1812, but Spain’s grip was very weak, and the British maintained a presence there. In theory, it was an “alliance,” but Spain couldn’t have kept the British out of Florida if they’d wanted to. Spain cooperated with the British in keeping the Creeks/Seminoles supplied with weapons for use against Americans.

[Gfactor]

Here is a paper (warning pdf format) that talks all about Florida in the War of 1812. As you might imagine, it also talks about those who sought to possess it, to some extent:

Stagg, J.C.A., “James Madison and George Mathews: The East Florida Revolution of 1812 Reconsidered,” 30 Diplomatic History 23 (2006): http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1467-7709.2006.00536.x?cookieSet=1

This is a review of a book on the other war of 1812 (the one in Florida): http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3880/is_200410/ai_n9434064

The book reviewed is: The Other War of 1812: The Patriot War and the American Invasion of Spanish East Florida. By James G. Cusick. New Perspectives on the History of the South. Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 2003. xvi, 370 pp. $55.00. ISBN 0-8130-2648-2.

Here is another review of Cusick’s book: http://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.cgi?path=234941093870567

Simple summary:

In 1812, Spain owned Florida. Spain was an ally of Britain. The friendship between Spain and Britain made many people in the U.S. nervous. Even though Spain was allied with Britain, Spain promised to stay out of any conflict between Britain and the U.S. Despite Spain’s promise, many people in the border state of Georgia still felt threatened. They were afraid that Spain would help Britain at-tack America. Also, Spain recruited black soldiers. The state of Georgia feared that Spain would en-courage Georgia’s slaves to start a war. Then, five wealthy men from Spanish Florida met with a man named General George Matthews. General Mat-thews was a former Georgia governor and Revolu-tionary War veteran. The Floridians talked about the possibility of selling Florida to the U.S. Eventually, the Floridians abandoned the plan. General Mat-thews did not. General Matthews started a war with Florida. That war was called the Patriot War.

from here: http://www.thehistoryworkshop.com/educators/pdf/pointpeter/pwreading.pdf

More stuff here: Fort Mose Historic Site (discussing the role of Fort Mose in the war) (a lot of good detail)

Even more here: http://tfn.net/~cdk901/Counties/c4alac2.htm

Here is a nice history of West Florida’s various owners and the disputes that the transfers caused:

After the American Revolution the British ceded Florida back to Spain, but without clear definition of its boundaries. A controversy immediately developed over the northern boundary of West Florida. The Spanish demanded the 1764 line; the United States insisted on the old line of 31°N. The issue was settled by Pinckney’s Treaty (1795), in which Spain recognized the American claim. With the transfer of Louisiana from Spain to France and its subsequent purchase (1803) by the United States, another dispute over West Florida’s boundaries developed. Based on the treaty of cession with France, which did not specify the boundaries of the Louisiana Purchase, the United States claimed that part of West Florida (between the Perdido and the Mississippi rivers) that had been part of Louisiana before 1763. The Spanish insisted that Louisiana, as held and administered by them, had not included this area. Lengthy and inconclusive negotiations ensued. At the same time American settlers moved into the area and resisted Spanish control.

West Florida Controversy | Encyclopedia.com