THE OLDEST CITY'S HISTORY

Second Spanish period: 1784 to 1821

For the first year and a half after the second treaty of Paris (details)two governments existed in St. Augustine

trying to create a peaceful transfer of English to Spanish government. (summary)

The new Spanish Governor Vinzente Manuel de Zespedes (details)found it often hard to work with

his English counterpart: The haughty and iritable Governor Tonyn.

Governor Zespedes had problems of his own as well. (details)

The problems to overcome were many: some seventeen thousand British had to be relocated,

Spanish subjects to be returned from places as San Augustin de la Nueva Florida, in a rural area near Matanzas, Cuba,

while difficulties arose with Indians and about slaves and slave ownership.

There were about five to six thousand negroes in the area that fell into four groups:

Slaves of British subjects, slaves plundered from the American colonies, runaway slaves and free Negroes.

Indians frequently harbored runaway slaves and some of the free Negroes dealt in slave marketing.

Free negroes did well as their rights were recognized under Spanish law and culture.

After Tonyn had left in June 1785 and matters settled, 300 English had stayed under the

condition of conversion to the Catholic religion, about 600 Minorcans and Greeks stayed as well,

but less than 500 Spanish returned to the city.

Including other foreigners St. Augustine had become one of the first truly cosmopolitan cities

where we could hear six or seven languages spoken in the course of a day.

With the English a lot of the newly acquired prosperity left and the town reverted back to a

rather impoverished military outpost depending on supplies from the Spanish government.

However, Spain itself suffered Napoleonic invasions, began losing it's grip on the New World

colonies and Florida was no longer of prime importance.

On the other hand the expanding United States in the north considered the peninsula as vital to its interests.

The threat was becoming increasingly obvious when an insurgent force under

Revolutionary War general Elijah Clarke (details) in June 1795 took Fort Juana and Fort San Nicholas,(details)

both near present-day Jacksonville, and occupied Amelia Island.

Luckily Spanish troops, supported by English and Spanish brigantines, retook the captured positions

and prevented any further invasion.

In 1812 another attempt was made by Americans forces taking the title of patriots, under the

leadership of general John H. McIntosh and with the blessing of president James Madison. (details) (video)

They captured Fernandina, with the aid of nine American gunboats, captured and occupied

Fort Moosa but failed to damage the town. The castillo and the newly strengthened Cubo Line

was too formidable a defense.

Again diplomacy took over where military might had failed. A little over two years later the

Treaty of Ghent provided that portions of West Florida seized by the United States would

remain in their hands and negotiations began between Secretary of State John Quincy Adams (details) (video)

and Spanish ambassador, Luis de Onis, (details) to determine the fate of the rest of Florida.

It still took years for a final treaty to result, but in 1821, on July 12th, the flag of Spain was

replaced by the Stars and Stripes on the old fort, which was renamed "Fort Marion"