The Patriot War in Florida: Manifest Destiny, Slavery, Covert Intervention, and U.S. Imperialism

Historian Adam Wasserman's account of the Patriot uprising in 1812 East Florida, a covert operation sanctioned by the Madison Administration to 1) Wrest possession of the Florida territory from Spain 2) Wipe out the Seminoles, an indigenous tribe that resisted the encroachment of white settlers 3) Enslave the black Seminoles, fugitive slaves incorporated into the Seminole tribe 4) Destroy the free black militias at St. Augustine, an army of mulatto blacks who protected Spanish hold over the Florida territory and incited slave insurrection on the Southern frontier 5) Expand slavery into the territory.

This article is an extract from Wasserman's A People's History of Florida.