March 3, 1845: Florida is admitted as the 27th state


The first inhabitants of Florida were the native peoples that occupied the peninsula since the end of the Ice Age. The first Europeans to explore the peninsula were Spanish. Conquistador Juan Ponce de Leon explored much of the land mass in his search for the fabled Fountain of Youth. The peninsula was further explored by Hernando de Soto. Pedro Menendez de Aviles established the first permanent settlement, St. Augustine, in 1565. As the Spanish colonized into Florida further, they converted many native peoples to Catholicism. In 1763, Spain ceded the colony to Great Britain in return of the Cuban city of Havana. After Great Britain's defeat in the American War of Independence, Florida was granted back to Spain.

 The newly established United States desired to expand into new lands. In 1803, President Thomas Jefferson purchased the Louisiana Territory from France, doubling the size of the United States overnight. However Florida remained elusive. Throughout the 1810's, American settlers moved into the Spanish territory. The native Seminole tribe resented the American incursion. They began raiding American settlements in Florida and southern Georgia. This sparked the First Seminole War. In response to the raids, General Andrew Jackson led troops into Florida to combat the natives. This almost sparked an international incident with the Spanish, but it was averted by Secretary of State, John Quincy Adams.

 By the 1820's, Florida was becoming too expensive for the Spanish to maintain. In 1821, they decided to sell. John Quincy Adams and Spanish minister, Luis de Onis y Gonzalez-Vara signed a treaty to cede Florida to the United States. The following year east and west Florida were merged into the territory of Florida. In 1845, the territory applied for statehood. On March 3rd, Florida was officially admitted to the Union.



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