Learning Unit
The Florida Seminoles
Published Sources
Cusick, James G. The Other War of 1812: The Patriot War and the American Invasion of Spanish East Florida. Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 2003.
Dodd, Dorothy. “The Secession Movement in Florida, 1850-1861, Part I.” The Florida Historical Quarterly 12, no. 1 (July 1933): 3-24.
Moussalli, Stephanie D. "Florida's Frontier Constitution: The Statehood, Banking & Slavery Controversies." The Florida Historical Quarterly 74, no. 4 (1996): 423-39.
Schafer, Daniel L. “U.S. Territory and State.” In
The History of Florida, edited by Michael Gannon, 220-243. Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 2013.
Guiding Questions
- How does the history of the United States’ acquisition of Florida compare with the broader history of westward expansion?
- Look at the 1845 resolution of the Legislature regarding Florida’s admission as a state. Why did Floridians want Congress to admit Iowa at the same time?
- Look at the Legislature’s resolutions relating to the Wilmot Proviso and the expansion of United States territory. Why was an established territory like Florida so concerned about the rights of people who moved to a place so far away?
- Look at the Legislature’s 1849 resolution regarding the controversy that was ultimately resolved by the Compromise of 1850, and then read the section titled “Federal Relations” in Governor James E. Broome’s address to the Legislature on November 29, 1854. Describe the grievances Florida leaders had before the compromise was reached, and evaluate how well that compromise appeared to be working out by the time Broome made his address.
Next Generation Sunshine State Standards
SS.8.A.4.1: Examine the causes, course, and consequences of United States westward expansion and its growing diplomatic assertiveness (War of 1812, Convention of 1818, Adams-Onis Treaty, Missouri Compromise, Monroe Doctrine, Trail of Tears, Texas annexation, Manifest Destiny, Oregon Territory, Mexican American War/Mexican Cession, California Gold Rush, Compromise of 1850, Kansas Nebraska Act, Gadsden Purchase).
SS.8.A.4.2: Describe the debate surrounding the spread of slavery into western territories and Florida. Examples may include, but are not limited to, abolitionist movement, Ft. Mose, Missouri Compromise, Bleeding Kansas, Kansas-Nebraska Act, Compromise of 1850.
SS.8.A.4.17: Examine key events and peoples in Florida history as each impacts this era of American history. Examples may include, but are not limited to, Andrew Jackson's military expeditions to end Indian uprisings, developing relationships between the Seminoles and runaway slaves, Adams-Onis Treaty, Florida becoming a United States territory, combining former East and West Floridas, establishing first state capital, Florida's constitution, Florida's admittance to the Union as 27th state.
SS.8.A.4.18: Examine the experiences and perspectives of different ethnic, national and religious groups in Florida, explaining their contributions to Florida's and America's society and culture during the Territorial Period. Examples may include, but are not limited to, Osceola, white settlers, U.S. troops, Black Seminoles, southern plantation and slave owners, Seminole Wars, Treaty of Moultrie Creek, Seminole relocation, Chief Billy Bowlegs, Florida Crackers.
Document Analysis Worksheets From the National Archives
Document analysis is the first step in working with primary sources. Teach your students to think through primary source documents for contextual understanding and to extract information to make informed judgments.
The document analysis worksheets created by the National Archives and Records Administration are in the public domain.
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