Black Seminoles and North American politics 1693-1845, 1995

This study examined the interaction between rebellious African slaves, who took refuge in Florida, and the governments of Spain, Britain and the United States. The rebels fled British and American slavery in the Carolinas and Georgia. The study is based on the premise that this interaction reveals a genuine political relationship between the rebels and the governments. Administrative documents, records and military correspondence of the various governments furnish the foundation of the study's analytical data. This is a case study in which a political-historical method is used to analyze documents, diaries, and other data. The researcher found that numerous references about rebel slaves in Florida exist in the documents. Also, each government formed specific policies because of the rebels. The conclusions drawn from the findings suggest that because the Florida rebels were able to sustain their freedom through war, they received the scrutiny of the various governments. As a military ally, the rebels helped Spain keep its Florida colony until 1821. British and United States political leaders were forced to seek first diplomatic, then military measures, to counter the activities of the rebels and their allies