The 27th state admitted to the US was Florida on March 3,1845. Florida is known as the "Sunshine State", and is the most populated southeastern state. It has the most golf courses, has two national parks, and is home to over 1.25 million alligators. Sunscreen, Gatorade, air conditioning, Key Lime Pie, concentrated orange juice, and spring break were all invented in Florida. Daytona Beach is the site for the first integrated professional baseball game, and Cape Canaveral is the location for NASA to launch spaceships and satellites. The capital is Tallahassee, the state flower is the Orange Blossom, the state tree is the Sabal Palm, and the state bird is the Northern Mockingbird.
Indigenous peoples of Florida have inhabited the state for over 12,000 years before the first European settlers arrived. The two major groups of Native Americans were the Timucua of the North, and the Calusa of the South. A bunch of smaller groups of Florida natives called themselves the "Tampa Bay". The Mocoso lived in the Bay between the Hillsborough River and the Alafia River. The Tocobaga and Pohoy lived along Old Tampa Bay. The Uzita were a larger group from area of the Little Manatee River to the Sarasoto Bay.
In the early 1500's, the Spanish came upon Florida during their exploration of the land. The leaders of the expedition were Ponce de Léon, Pánfilo de Narváez, and Hernando de Soto. They came in 1513, and then returned to take another voyage in 1521. Ponce de León called the area "la Florida" in honor of the "Feast of Flowers" during Easter time. In 1539, Hernando de Soto came back to search for gold and silver. He wandered the land for four years, and he camped in Tallahassee. In 1542, he died on his mission. In 1559, Tristán de Luna y Arellano was the leader of a European group who attempted to colonize Florida. After two years, he was forced to abandon this mission due to his life's misfortunes. In 1607, English settlers came to America and they were hostile toward the Spanish. They attacked the Spanish in 1702 with their Creek Indian allies, destroying the town of St. Augustine. The British eventually gained control of Florida in 1763, causing Spain to evacuate the area. British rule only lasted 20 years before the Spanish captured Pensacola from them in 1781. In 1784, it regained control of the rest of Florida as part of a peace treaty that concluded the American Revolution. In 1821, after both official and unofficial US military expeditions, Spain ceded Florida to the US through the terms of the Adams-OnÃs Treaty. In 1818, Andrew Jackson and the Natives participated in the First Seminole War. In 1830, the Indian Removal Act was passed, and this led to the Second Seminole War. In 1957, the tribe voted in favor of a Seminole Constitution so they could be federally recognized.
From 1685 to 1708, the English colonists joined with the Yamassee and Creek Native Americans through staged raids. They were decimated by the diseases that the Europeans brought over. The flu, smallpox, and the measles killed so many indigenous people that you couldn't find organized Native towns in Florida, except near the town of St. Augustine. The "Seminoles" of Florida call themselves the "Unconquered People". They were the descendants of only 300 Natives who somehow avoided getting caught by the US Army during the 19th century. Today, more than 2000 live on 6 reservations in the state.
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