Territorial Disputes over Florida
Territory is a major cause of wars and crises betweencountries. Throughout history people have been fightingover who owns what land. In this essay I will be going overjust one of these conflicts involving territory. This essay will go over and explain the territorialdisputes over Florida between the United States of Americaand Spain. The early part of the nineteenth century saw theUnited States expanding under an impulse known to historiansas manifest destiny. Manifest destiny was not only a movewestward but also towards the south. " The Acquisition ofFlorida was part of this southward movement, and thoughSpain did not care to let Florida Pass from under herjurisdiction, conditions made it impossible for her to domore than delay the action" (Martin, 1). For years before 1810 Spanish Florida spread across anarrow strip of the Gulf of Mexico all the way to theMississippi River. Temptation was high to acquire thisterritory, so on October 27, 1810, President James Madisonproclaimed American authority over all the section ofFlorida between the Mississippi and Perdido Rivers. By theyear 1814 American troops were stationed throughout thisarea and thereafter Spain never gained control of it again.
(Marvin, 1-3) The Jackson episode had a great impact on preparing theway for acquisition of Florida by the United States. Spain did not agree onthis view and protested against it to the bitter end , butto no avail. With these conditions existingon the border of the United States , it recognized apressing need for annexation of Florida (Martin, 3). There was a widespread feeling theU. Arevolution had taken place and a new constitution was drawnup. Irujo then receded somewhat from his hostileattitude, reminded the council that Texas had been savedwhich, in a limited way, offset the loss of Florida. Bythis time, President Monroe was anxious for a treaty andgave aid to the two diplomats in several stormy disputes. e War of 1812 the United States was hoping toacquire all of Florida, "especially if Spain came into theWar against the United States, but she chose to staynon-belligerent in the struggle" (Marvin, 3). (Martin, 13) Over in Spain a series of events were underway. Theoccupation of most of West Florida was a flagrant aggressionon Spanish territory, but the Madison administrationinsisted that the territory had actually been acquired bythe purchase of Louisiana in 1803. Spain was reluctant to yield Florida tothe United States due to the uprising of Spanish colonies inSouth America. (Brooks, 3) Negotiations were begun between Luis de Onis, theSpanish Minister, and John Quincy Adams, Secretary of Stateto the United States, in October of 1818 (Martin, 4).
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