Florida became a US territory in 1822. Before then, the southern peninsula was mostly inhabited by French and Spanish settlers, as well as Native Americans, and Native American immigrants who had escaped from other southern states to avoid being exiled to the Indian reservations in the mid-west. The best known group of these displaced Native Americans are the Seminoles. There was another group of people, too. African-American Slaves. Some who claimed to have been born free; others who who fugitives that had escaped southern slavery. Early American visitors to the Spanish and French colonies reportedly told tales of Blacks living amongst the Native American's in the wilderness. Not as slaves, but as free men.
As you would imagine, this created a huge dilemma for southern slave owners. Once their slaves escaped, they wanted to capture and re-claim their "property". However, they were forbidden to do so if slaves entered Florida, because Florida was out of the US jurisdiction. Fugitive slaves simply claimed to be the "property" of a Seminole Tribe Chief (since African Americans could not technically be "free men" in those days).
However, when Florida became an official US Territory, all hell broke loose - literally! Slave catchers could now legally enter Florida and capture fugitive slaves to bring them to back to their owners. It was difficult to do, because slaves had families of their own, and some of the children had never been slaves at all. The slaves catchers found ways around that by claiming that any off-spring of a slave that he owned was indeed his property as well. Fugitive slaves told the Seminoles of their tribulations in bondage, and the Seminoles vowed to help provide them with safe haven. What they didn't anticipate was the US moving in on Florida, and attempting to displace the Native Americans from their native land. What history doesn't tell us about the War of 1812 is that it was a war that was fought in order to exile Native Americans from Florida, and move them to reservations in the mid-west. They refused.
Chief Osceola
John Horse was born in Florida in 1812 to an African-American mother (fugitive slave), and a Seminole father, a supposed Chief. When John was still a child, Andrew Jackson, a general at the time, invaded Florida, driving most of the Indian tribes further south into the everglades. By the time John was a young man, all-out war had broken out between US troops and Native Americans alongside Black Seminoles. John Horse acted as interpreter between the Native Americans and US liaisons, however he also fought in many battles during the war in order to protect the freedom of his African-American Heritage, and his Native American land. John Horse was said to be Chief Osceola's right hand man in the wars. The Seminole Wars, also known as The Florida Wars, are the longest, and most expensive civil wars North America has seen. Starting in 1817, and not ending until the Seminoles finally conceded and moved west to Oklahoma territories in 1858. Not by conquest, but because the Seminoles did not want to be at war any longer. The wars were hard fought. Andrew Jackson himself had stated that if it weren't for those "pesky Black Seminoles", this war would have long been over. US troops would describe the Black Seminoles fighting in swamps as phantoms; unable to be killed or captured during battles. It was nearly impossible for US troops to fight in Florida's swamp conditions as it was, let alone battle "warriors" in the wilderness. US federals expected to come, see, and conquer; but that was far from the case. John Horse fought with, was captured with, and escaped with Seminoles and other Black Seminoles throughout the war. He died in 1882, in route to Mexico City, still fighting for land rights for his people.
John Horse is an African-American hero because his heroics in the Seminole Wars - believe it or not - laid the groundwork for the Emancipation Proclamation. John Quincy Adams argued in Washington, DC in regards to the Seminole Wars that you cannot quiet a man's "rebel status", and that any man would "emancipate himself". He asserted that "war power" was limited by laws and usage. A man's will to be free however, is unlimited!
"Southern slaves had the ability to win freedom through insurrection should the federal government find it expedient to grant them liberty". - John Quincy Adams
Adams argued this point 27 years before Lincoln's proclamation. I wonder where Lincoln's idea to emancipate slaves came from? Well I will tell you that most are unaware that John Quincy Adams was a mentor to Lincoln before he was president!
Please read more about John Horse and The Seminole Wars. I promise you that it is an exciting and passionate story about freedom, liberty, and heritage: and none of it is fiction! My favorite part is when Chief Osceola along with other Seminoles and Black Seminoles were being held captive at a fort in a small room that only had one 2ft x 2ft window with 2 bars, nearly twelve feet from the floor. Outside of the window was a drop off to the ocean. The prisoners starved themselves for days, until they were able to hoist one another up and squeeze through the bars to their freedom - scrapping the very skin from their flesh! No price is too high for freedom!
Please read more about John Horse and The Seminole Wars. I promise you that it is an exciting and passionate story about freedom, liberty, and heritage: and none of it is fiction! My favorite part is when Chief Osceola along with other Seminoles and Black Seminoles were being held captive at a fort in a small room that only had one 2ft x 2ft window with 2 bars, nearly twelve feet from the floor. Outside of the window was a drop off to the ocean. The prisoners starved themselves for days, until they were able to hoist one another up and squeeze through the bars to their freedom - scrapping the very skin from their flesh! No price is too high for freedom!
Articles and References:
wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Florida
wikipedia.org/wiki/Seminole_Wars
Celebrate Black History
xoxoxo
