The New History of Florida, the first comprehensive history of the state to be written in a quarter of a century, is the culmination of the most recent and significant work from a galaxy of specialists. Each of the 22 chapters, which weave together in one continuous narrative, was written especially for this volume. Their authors present here not only political, economic, military, and religious information but also social history and personal experiences. Endnotes and a bibliography are appended to each chapter. Florida's first inhabitants entered the peninsula and panhandle about 10,000 years ago. The Spaniard Juan Ponce de León stumbled ashore near Melbourne Beach in 1513. He called the place La Florida, the first permanent geographic name of European origin to be etched upon the maps of the American continent. Over three centuries of Spanish and English colonial history followed before the United States acquired Florida in 1821. The first state flag was raised over a new capitol in Tallahassee on May 26, 1845. Written to observe the sesquicentennial of statehood, this work will document the rich history of the Sunshine State for general readers, students, and scholars well into the twenty-first century. Contents Introduction, by Michael Gannon Original Inhabitants, by Jerald T. Milanich First European Contacts, by Michael Gannon Settlement and Survival, by Eugene Lyon Republic of Spaniards, Republic of Indians, by Amy Turner Bushnell The Missions of Spanish Florida, by John H. Hann Raids, Sieges, and International Wars, by Charles W. Arnade Pensacola, 1686-1763, by William S. Coker British Rule in the Floridas, by Robin F. A. Fabel The Second Spanish Period in the Two Floridas, by William S. Coker and Susan R. Parker Free and Slave, by Jane Landers Florida's Seminole and Miccosukee Peoples, by John K. Mahon and Brent R. Weisman U.S. Territory and State, by Daniel L. Schafer The Civil War, 1861-1865, by Canter Brown, Jr. Reconstruction and Renewal, 1865-1877, by Jerrell H. Shofner Prelude to the New Florida, 1877-1919, by Samuel Proctor Fortune and Misfortune: The Paradoxical Twenties, by William W. Rogers The Great Depression, by William W. Rogers World War II, by Gary R. Mormino Florida Politics in the Twentieth Century, by David R. Colburn The African American Experience in Twentieth-Century Florida, by Maxine D. Jones From Migration to Multiculturalism: A History of Florida Immigration, by Raymond A. Mohl and George E. Pozzetta The Big Change in the Sunshine State: A Social History of Modern Florida, by Raymond A. Mohl and Gary R. Mormino Michael Gannon, volume editor, is Distinguished Service Professor of History and director of the Institute for Early Contact Period Studies at the University of Florida. He is the author of Rebel Bishop (1964), The Cross in the Sand: The Early Catholic Church in Florida, 1513-1870 (UPF, 1965, 1983), Operation Drumbeat (1990), and the novel Secret Missions (1994); as well as the bestselling Florida: A Short History (UPF, 1993), which won a Certificate of Commendation from the American Association for State and Local History.

This is the heralded “definitive history” of Florida. No other book so fully or accurately captures the highs and lows, the grandeur and the craziness, the horrors and the glories of the past 500 years in the Land of Sunshine. Twenty-three leading historians, assembled by renowned scholar Michael Gannon, offer a wealth of perspectives and expertise to create a comprehensive, balanced view of Florida’s sweeping story. The chapters cover such diverse topics as the maritime heritage of Florida, the exploits of the state’s first developers, the astounding population boom of the twentieth century, and the environmental changes that threaten the future of Florida’s beautiful wetlands. Celebrating Florida’s role at the center of important historical movements, from the earliest colonial interactions in North America to the nation’s social and political climate today, The History of Florida is an invaluable resource on the complex past of this dynamic state. Contributors: Charles W. Arnade | Canter Brown Jr. | Amy Turner Bushnell | David R. Colburn | William S. Coker | Amy Mitchell-Cook | Jack E. Davis | Robin F. A. Fabel | Michael Gannon | Thomas Graham | John H. Hann | Dr Della Scott-Ireton | Maxine D. Jones | Jane Landers | Eugene Lyon | John K. Mahon | Jerald T. Milanich | Raymond A. Mohl | Gary R. Mormino | Susan Richbourg Parker | George E. Pozzetta | Samuel Proctor | William W. Rogers | Daniel L. Schafer | Jerrell H. Shofner | Dr. Robert A. Taylor | Brent R. Weisman

Offers a comprehensive look at the history of the state of Florida, from its discovery, exploration, and settlement through its becoming a state, to notable events in the early twenty-first century.

Florida is a story of astonishing growth, a state swelling from 500,000 residents at the outset of the 20th century to some 16 million at the end. As recently as mid-century, on the eve of Pearl Harbor, Florida was the smallest state in the South. At the dawn of the millennium, it is the fourth largest in the country, a megastate that was among those introducing new words into the American vernacular: space coast, climate control, growth management, retirement community, theme park, edge cities, shopping mall, boomburbs, beach renourishment, Interstate, and Internet. Land of Sunshine, State of Dreams attempts to understand the firestorm of change that erupted into modern Florida by examining the great social, cultural, and economic forces driving its transformation. Gary Mormino ranges far and wide across the landscape and boundaries of a place that is at once America's southernmost state and the northernmost outpost of the Caribbean. From the capital, Tallahassee--a day's walk from the Georgia border--to Miami--a city distant but tantalizingly close to Cuba and Haiti--Mormino traces the themes of Florida's transformation: the echoes of old Dixie and a vanishing Florida; land booms and tourist empires; revolutions in agriculture, technology, and demographics; the seductions of the beach and the dynamics of a graying population; and the enduring but changing meanings of a dreamstate. Beneath the iconography of popular culture is revealed a complex and complicated social framework that reflects a dizzying passage from New Spain to Old South, New South to Sunbelt.

Praise for the previous edition: "A major new history."--Miami Herald "A jewel."--Tallahassee Democrat "The standard reference."--Orlando Sentinel "As interesting as it is informative."--Naples Daily News "Florida is as much a state of mind as it is a slice of land between the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. . . . Florida could become a place of civic texture if we understand its past. Professor Gannon's book is a good place to begin."--St. Petersburg Times "Incorporates much of the new scholarship that has appeared over the last twenty or so years, much of the best of it exploring the lives of African-Americans, Indians, and Florida's common white folk. . . . For those interested in seeking out the multifaceted aspects of their native or adopted state, this is the place to start."--Tampa Tribune This is the definitive history of the state where prehistoric societies once flourished between the Atlantic and the Gulf, where Europeans built the town of St. Augustine years before Jamestown and Plymouth existed, and where travelers from around the world now come by the millions to vacation each year. This is the multifaceted saga of Florida, one of the most fascinating states in America. Twenty-three leading historians, assembled by renowned scholar Michael Gannon, come together in this volume, offering a wealth of perspectives and expertise to create a comprehensive, balanced view of Florida's sweeping story. This thought-provoking narrative is essential reading for understanding the last 500 years in the Land of Sunshine. Discover pre-Columbian Florida and learn what the landscape was like when the first European explorers arrived. Journey through the history of immigration and ethnicity in Florida, the lives of the Seminole and Miccosukee peoples, and the societies of free and enslaved Africans in the state. Follow Florida from U.S. statehood in 1845 to the Civil War, through the Great Depression, World War II, and into today's political arena. The chapters in this volume cover such diverse topics as the maritime heritage of Florida, the exploits of the state's first developers, the astounding population boom of the twentieth century, and the environmental changes that threaten the future of Florida's beautiful wetlands. Celebrating Florida's role at the center of important historical movements, from the earliest colonial interactions in North America to the nation's social and political climate today, The History of Florida is an invaluable resource on the complex past of this dynamic state.

A prize-winning r"Washington Post" reporter tells the story of the Florida Everglades, from its beginnings as 4,500 off-putting square miles of natural liquid wasteland to the ecological mess it has become. Photos.

A Florida historian uncovers strange but true tales of The Sunshine State from the 16th century arrival of Spanish ships to the antics of modern politics. From Key West to the Redneck Riviera, Florida has a history as colorful as its landscape and as diverse as its residents. But beneath the famous legends of Florida’s storied past are intriguing tales that don’t appear in the popular guides or history books. In Hidden History of Florida, author James Clark shines a light on some of the most fascinating untold stories of this unique Southern State. Here you will learn about then heartbroken senator who entered a mental institution over unrequited love for an heiress; the thousands of British pilots who trained in flight schools across the state; and the dark, true story of Pocahontas—and how it is linked with America’s "first barbecue."