As early as the 16th century when Europeans began coming to Florida’s shores, slaves have been an important component of the cultural and social dynamic of the state. By the time Florida became a United States territory in 1821, slavery had become an integral part of the Middle Florida plantation economy. The system of African slavery in Florida was more closely related to other southern states of the time leading up to the American Civil War however. Florida has become part of the great cotton belt which produced a large quantity of the country’s cotton from this slave labor system.
10/3 Today in Florida History from the Florida Historical Society!
10/4 Today in Florida History from the Florida Historical Society!
10/5 Today in Florida History from the Florida Historical Society!
The newly formed franchise of the Florida Marlins signs its first player, 16-year-old pitcher Clemente Nunez. Nunez never stepped on the mount for the Marlins, but he played as far as AA and had a good run with the Brevard County Manatees. The Marlins played their first game, winning 6-3 over the Los Angeles Dodgers, on April 5, 1993. The Marlins would go on to win the World Series in 1997 and 2003 before moving to a new stadium and being renamed the Miami Marlins in 2012.
Legendary rock star and Melbourne, Florida native Jim Morrison of The Doors was posthumously pardoned for two misdemeanor convictions, indecent exposure and open profanity, stemming from an incident in which Morrison allegedly exposed himself on stage during a 1969 concert in Miami’s Dinner Key Auditorium. What Morrison’s former lawyer said would be considered a “wardrobe malfunction” today caused uproar in conservative 1969 Miami. In response The Doors were dropped from local radio airwaves and a ‘decency rally’ was held at the Orange Bowl.
Gore presidential campaign files emergency request for the Florida Supreme Court to force Miami-Dade County to continue the manual recount halted the day before. The Florida Supreme Court denies the request, essentially securing the election for George W. Bush.
After a mob of Republicans interrupt the proceedings election officials in Miami-Dade County, Florida vote to suspend manual recount of presidential ballots claiming they would not have enough time to finish the count before the November 26 deadline. They decide to recount only ballots that do not indicate a clear presidential choice, costing Democratic candidate Al Gore a 157-vote gain from the manual recount.
The First Seminole War began in response to Andrew Jackson’s attacks into Spanish Florida against the Seminole Indians. This was not the first time the United States had made military excursions into the Spanish territory. Although Spain expressed outrage at having foreign military troops in their territory they eventually decided to cede the Floridas to the United States in 1819. Once the Adams-Onis Treaty took effect in 1821 the subsequent Second and Third Seminole Wars were attempts by the United States to drive the Seminoles out of its newly acquired territory.
In light of a war-time need for employment during World War II, Florida bans loitering and joblessness. Police officers are told to check “jook joints” and arrest men who cannot show proof of employment. Orlando Chief of Police J. C. Stone said, “If a man wants a job he can get in on our groves, on our farms, or in defense construction. The time has come to clean Orlando of its loitering and idle me who are contributing less than nothing to the war effort.”