Archaeological finds indicate that Florida had been inhabited for many
thousands of years prior to any European settlements. Of the many
indigenous people, the largest tribes were the Ais , Calusa, Tequesta,
Timucua and the Tocobago tribes. Juan Ponce de León, a Spanish navigator,
named this new land in honor of his discovery of the land on April 2,
1513.
From that date forward, the land became known as "La Florida." Over
the following century, the Spanish and French both established settlements
in Florida, with varying degrees of success. Spanish Pensacola was
established by Don Tristan de Luna as the first European settlement in the
current United States in 1559 (its settlement was interrupted by a
hurricane). Six years later, in 1565, Pedro Menéndez de Avilés established
Saint Augustine as the first permanent European settlement. These two
cities would come to be the capitals of the British and Spanish colonies
of East and West Florida.
The area of Florida diminished with the establishment of British colonies
to the north and French colonies to the west. Control of parts of Florida
passed among Spanish, British, and American control. Spain finally ceded
Florida to the United States with the Adams-Onís Treaty in 1819, in
exchange for the U.S. renouncing any claims on Texas. On March 3, 1845,
Florida became the 27th state of the United States of America. Florida
seceded from the Union on January 10, 1861 and was one of the founding
members of the Confederate States of America . Florida joined the CSA on
February 10, 1861. After the fall of the Confederacy in 1865, Florida was
readmitted into the Union on June 25, 1868.
Until the mid-twentieth century, Florida was the least populous Southern
state. However, migration from the Rust Belt combined with Florida's warm
climate (tempered by the growing availability of air conditioning) made it
a haven for newcomers. Today, Florida is the second most populous state in
the South (behind Texas and the fourth most populous state in the United
States.
