The Republic of West Florida

1810

Florida was given to the British after the Treaty of Paris in 1763 at the end of the French and Indian

War

During the American Revolution the low population British colony of Florida did not participate. It became a refuge

for Tories fleeing the war.

After the conclusion of the American Revolution, Spain was given back control of Florida. (1783)

Spain divided Florida into the Republic of West Florida and the Republic of East Florida

President Thomas Jefferson purchased the Louisiana Territory from France. But Spain, which had ceded the

territory to Napoleon, maintained that it did not include the area known as West Florida, which

stretched from the Perdido River across southern Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana to the Mississippi River. For its part, the United States believed West

Florida was its own, but rather than risk confrontation and war, Jefferson and his successor

James Madison allowed Spain to administer it until an opportunity arose.

American settlers from the South flooded into the Florida territories looking for economic opportunity.

Things were peaceful until 1808, when Spain appointed Col.

Charles Delassus as governor. The inefficiency and corruption of

officials under him threatened the prosperity of American

colonists in West Florida, who presented demands for political

reform. Delassus pretended to go along, while secretly plotting to

arrest the ringleaders.

Philemon Thomas

In the predawn fog of September 23, 1810, about 50 men, led by Revolutionary War veteran Philemon Thomas, walked in the open gate of Fort San Carlos in Baton Rouge. An additional 25 men on horseback rode through a gap in the fort’s wall. Spanish soldiers

discharged a handful of muskets before Thomas’ men let go a single volley that killed or wounded five Spaniards. The

remaining soldados surrendered or fled.

A Mini-Revolution

After learning of Delassus’ duplicity, the Americanos struck first. After capturing Fort San Carlos, they declared themselves the Republic of West

Florida, replacing the Spanish flag with their banner—a white star on a field of blue. Some derided what one U.S. newspaper editor called “the little mimick

Revolution,” but President Madison knew that his strategy of passive expansionism had evicted Spain at no expense to the United States.

On December 10, 1810, the Republic of West Florida’s lone star came down and the Stars and Stripes took its place. For

the first time, the United States had acquired significant territory from another sovereignty without war or

compensation.

It didn’t take long for other territories to follow West Florida’s example. In 1835-36, Texas rose in revolt against Mexico, fighting under West

Florida’s lone star flag and voluntarily submitting to U.S. annexation in 1845. (The five-point star had emerged as a symbol of enlightenment

and defiance against tyranny—and would remain a motif for the flag of the Texas Republic.)

Commandancy of the The AlamoBejar, Feby. 24th. 1836To the People of Texas & All Americans in the World-Fellow Citizens & compatriots-I am besieged, by a thousand or more of the Mexicans under Santa Anna - I have sustained a continual Bombardment & cannonade for 24 hours & have not lost a man - The enemy has demanded a surrender at discretion, otherwise, the garrison are to be put to the sword, if the fort is taken - I have answered the demand with a cannon shot, & our flag still waves proudly from the walls - I shall never surrender or retreat.  Then, I call on you in the name of Liberty, of patriotism & everything dear to the American character, to come to our aid, with all dispatch - The enemy is receiving reinforcements daily & will no doubt increase to three or four thousand in four or five days.  If this call is neglected, I am determined to sustain myself as long as possible & die like a soldier who never forgets what is due to his own honor & that of his country - Victory or Death.William Barret Travis.Lt. Col.comdt.P. S.  The Lord is on our side - When the enemy appeared in sight we had not three bushels of corn - We have since found in deserted houses 80 or 90 bushels and got into the walls 20 or 30 head of Beeves.Travis

A year later at Sonoma, a small band of American and Mexican settlers declared the California Republic. The subsequent revolt against local authorities lasted 26 days before the United States

took over. In the ensuing war with Mexico, the United States acquired all of California and most or all of Colorado, Nevada,

New Mexico, Arizona, Wyoming, Utah and Oklahoma

While much has been written about the U.S.-Mexican War, the event that started it all, the 1810 revolution, has largely been viewed as a footnote. As a historian, it became clear to me that there was more at work here than a small band of unruly, land-hungry American colonists. West Florida became

the template for Manifest Destiny—a near-perfect embodiment of the men and forces that would propel Americans across their continent.

Pre-Civil War Filibuster Movements

• William Walker, a southerner from Tennessee, annexed parts of Mexico and named himself president. In his proclamation of control over Lower California (then part of Mexico), Walker explains why the territory was rightfully his, an explanation that neatly sums up the filibuster movement.

• Thus abandoning the peninsula, and leaving it as it was "a waif on the waters," Mexico cannot complain if others take it and make it valuable. On such considerations have I and my companions-in-arms acted in the course we have pursued. And, for the success of our enterprise, we put our trust in Him who controls the destinies of nations, and guides them in the ways of improvement and progress.

• Despite the vehement objections of the Mexican government and the anger of the U.S. authorities, many Americans thought this

was a triumph for filibustering. However, Walker eventually gave up, finding it too difficult. He was tried by the U.S. and acquitted.

Flag of Walker's republic

Walker then, along with 2,500 men, successfully took power in Nicaragua, legalized slavery there, and led the country for two years before an international team which included British and

American troops removed him from power. Walker would attempt to reestablish himself as leader of Nicaragua twice leading to his

death by court-martial.

• Walker was executed in Honduras in September 12, 1860

• The outbreak of the Civil War brought an end to the filibuster movement as everyone turned their attentions to defense of the North or South.

Historians argue that the filibuster movement may have impacted the South's decision to secede from the Union. When Neutrality Laws were

enforced by President Pierce during Lopez's invasion of Cuba, some southerners saw this as a plot against the South and slaveholding. One

historian, Robert May, put it this way: "Had Americans never filibustered, the Union might have weathered the storm."

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