Lincoln Letters

Florida Convention of the People, Minutes, 1861-1862
Series 540, 1 volume

Detail from Florida Convention of the People, Minutes, 1861-1862

Florida's secession convention voted to take Florida out of the Union on January 10, 1861, when it passed the Ordinance of Secession.

  • Minutes, 1861-1862.

    • Florida's secession convention, officially entitled "The Convention of the People of Florida," met in Tallahassee in January, February, and April 1861, and during January 1862, holding its last meeting on January 27, 1862.

    The convention voted to take Florida out of the Union on January 10, 1861, when it passed the Ordinance of Secession (Series 972).

    In addition, the convention ratified the Confederate Constitution (Florida was the third state to secede and one of the seven original members of the Confederacy); created an executive council to oversee the actions of Governor John Milton; and passed numerous ordinances and resolutions concerning Florida's sovereignty, relations with the Confederate states, and the operations of the state's government.

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