Land Remembered and a brief History of Florida

Essay by Kunal2212High School, 11th gradeA+, September 2006

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The famous book by Patrick Smith Land Remembered would describe Florida as once vast savanna of towering high grass and a coast line so beautiful it would dazzle the likes of royalty. Ever since the settlers came to the peninsula of Florida they have never matched its beauty or grace. So how has Florida adapted from being a colonial territory to becoming one of the most popular vacation spots in the world?

The fist inhabitants of Florida were neantherdals, hunters who took haste near the St. Johns River. Fast forward a couple hundred years and the Spanish, French, and many other European counties have settled in the new found Florida. By 1500's these nations settled in Tampa, Key West and St. Augustine. St. Augustine was the first permanent settlement by Europeans, a man named Pedro Menendez was important in promoting Spain's colonization of Florida. Menéndez also wanted to excommunicate the French from their newly acquired beach resort.

After many battles and meaningless deaths of local and foreign occupants the Spanish regained all of Florida their customs were so prevailing that they influenced up into North Carolina. This influence helped spread the Floridian and Native American culture around the country. (http://susdl.fcla.edu/fh/)

This conflict between Spain and France gained interest from the British, the British sought to divide the territory into East and West. England had acquired Cuba in a bloody battle with the Spanish called the Seven Years war in 1756. England saw Cuba as a great bartering chip to swap with the Spanish for Florida, after the exchange Spain withdrew all its troops and native Spanish people. This exodus of inhabitants left the entire state empty with the exception of a few hundred people living in Pensacola and St. Augustine. During the American Revolution the Spanish were allies of the...