FLORIDA is highlighted here. Click the above map to view large U.S.A. map.

BRIEF HISTORY
In the early years of the nineteenth century many people came to Spanish Florida. Some, sought to make their fortunes by obtaining land and establishing plantations. Others were forced to come to Florida to work on those plantations, their labor enriching the men who owned them. Some of the enslaved would later become free landowners, struggling to keep their footing in a dangerous time of shifting alliances and politics.

The United States purchased Florida from Spain in 1821. The Spanish had relatively liberal policies regarding issues of race, but American territorial law brought many changes. At a time when many slave holders feared slave rebellions, oppressive laws were enacted and conditions for Florida's black population, free and enslaved, deteriorated.

References
--Kingsley Plantation National Historic Site http://www.gorp.com/gorp/resource/us_nhp/fl_kings.htm

LINKS
FL Genweb: General Florida genealogical information.

WHERE TO FIND FLORIDA SLAVERY RECORDS

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