What part of Florida did Americans settle first?
St. Augustine
Even before Jamestown or the Plymouth Colony, the oldest permanent European settlement in what is now the United States was founded in September 1565 by a Spanish soldier named Pedro Menéndez de Avilés in St. Augustine, Florida.
Why did Spain establish a settlement at St. Augustine?
The city was to serve important functions for the Spanish Empire, defending the primary trade route to Europe along the Atlantic Ocean’s main west to east current, called the Gulf Stream. As the territorial capital, St. Augustine would also defend the Spanish-claimed land against invasion.
Why did Florida become a state?
In 1819, after years of negotiations, Secretary of State John Quincy Adams achieved a diplomatic coup with the signing of the Florida Purchase Treaty, which officially put Florida into U.S. hands at no cost beyond the U.S. assumption of some $5 million of claims by U.S. citizens against Spain.
How did people settle in the Florida Keys?
In large part they settled in Key West after Florida became a U.S. Territory in 1821. They were involved in wrecking (salvaging), fishing, sponging and turtling industries. Later, Bahamian farmers, who knew coral-island farming techniques, brought proven plants/seeds and farmed successfully in the Upper Keys.
When was Florida first settled by the Europeans?
History of Florida. This area was the first mainland realm of the United States to be settled by Europeans. Thus, 1513 marked the beginning of the American Frontier. From that time of contact, Florida has had many waves of colonization and immigration, including French and Spanish settlement during the 16th century,…
What did the people of Florida do in the 16th century?
When European ships first landed on Florida in the 16th century, the area was well populated. Indians of the Timucua, Apalachee, Ais, Tekesta and Calusa were farming rich lands in the north — growing corn, beans and squash — and fishing or hunting for most of their food in the south.
Where did the people of South Florida come from?
Striking similarities between their form of maize horticulture and that originating in the savannas of northern South America. This has led some scholars to suggest that ancient people of South American migrated north to South Florida through the Antilles islands of the Caribbean.