Swamps, aligators, Seminole wars, Hurricanes, Key West, Bay of Pigs, Cuban refugees, millionaire gold coast, Disney World, Presidential brother, Terry Schiavo, two narrow elections that stuck us with W and now the possibility of moving up a primary that even further extends the election period into mind numbing perpetuity. Florida may be a perfectly wonderful state, but I can't help but wonder if Spain wouldn't like it back.In 1819, after years of negotiations, Secretary of State John Quincy Adams achieved a diplomatic coup with the signing of the Florida Purchase Treaty, which officially put Florida into U.S. hands at no cost beyond the U.S. assumption of some $5 million of claims by U.S. citizens against Spain. Formal U.S. occupation began in 1821, and General Andrew Jackson, the hero of the War of 1812, was appointed military governor. Florida was organized as a U.S. territory in 1822 and was admitted into the Union as a slave state in 1845.
4 comments:
My youngest daughter, who has the same name as yourself incidentally, will soon be relocating to Florida from her current home in Kentucky due to her father transferring within his company. She's moving to the same area that I lived in as a kid when my Dad was stationed at MacDill Air Force Base many, many years ago.
It doesn't exactly appeal to me as a vacation spot - I didn't care for Florida lo' those many years ago and now it's simply gotten even more crowded and taken over by a mouse. Plus hurricanes seem to be attracted to the place for some reason.
Leave it to my ex-husband to give me something even more to worry about.
My native state is California. If you think Florida has gotten crowded think about seeing a state go from 8 million to 33 million in your lifetime. Paradise even with the earthquakes has been paved over.
Both coasts seem to develop extreme behavior in their citizens which is always grounds for humor.
Jamie: excellent first paragraph; better than most columnists'. Janet Flanner would be proud. (Am thinking of her famous lede to New Yorker profile of Hitler in 1936, although could not find it quickly. Am sure you can...)
Nicely done.
OK as a native, born, raised... You gotta remember that all them thar Darn Yankees from up north came down here, so you want to figure out the source of what has gone wrong -- that is if you think it has gone wrong.
Before we go back to Spain lets remove the imports.
Post a Comment