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People first reached
Florida at least 12,000 years ago. The rich variety of environments in
prehistoric Florida supported a large number of plants and animals. The
animal population included most mammals that we know today. In addition,
many other large mammals that are now extinct (such as the saber-tooth
tiger, mastodon, giant armadillo, and camel) roamed the land.
The Florida coastline along the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico was
very different 12,000 years ago. The sea level was much lower than it is
today. As a result, the Florida peninsula was more than twice as large as
it is now. The people who inhabited Florida at that time were hunters and
gatherers, who only rarely sought big game for food. Modern researchers
think that their diet consisted of small animals, plants, nuts, and
shellfish. These first Floridians settled in areas where a steady water
supply, good stone resources for tool making, and firewood were available.
Over the centuries, these native people developed complex cultures. During
the period prior to contact with Europeans, native societies of the
peninsula developed cultivated agriculture, traded with other groups in
what is now the southeastern United States, and increased their social
organization, reflected in large temple mounds and village complexes.
Florida became the
twenty-seventh state in the United States on March 3, 1845. William D.
Moseley was elected the new state’s first governor, and David Levy Yulee,
one of Florida’s leading proponents for statehood, became a U.S. Senator.
By 1850 the population had grown to 87,445, including about 39,000 African
American slaves and 1,000 free blacks.
The slavery issue began to dominate the affairs of the new state. Most
Florida voters—who were white males, ages twenty-one years or older—did
not oppose slavery. However, they were concerned about the growing feeling
against it in the North, and during the 1850s they viewed the new
anti-slavery Republican party with suspicion. In the 1860 presidential
election, no Floridians voted for Abraham Lincoln, although this Illinois
Republican won at the national level. Shortly after his election, a
special convention drew up an ordinance that allowed Florida to secede
from the Union on January 10, 1861. Within several weeks, Florida joined
other southern states to form the Confederate States of America.
The people who make up Florida’s diverse
population have worked to make the Sunshine State a place where all
citizens have equal rights under the law. Since the 1950s, Florida’s
public education system and public places have undergone great changes.
African American citizens, joined by Governor LeRoy Collins and other
white supporters, fought to end racial discrimination in schools and other
institutions.
Since World War II, Florida’s economy also
has become more diverse. Tourism, cattle, citrus, and phosphate have been
joined by a host of new industries that have greatly expanded the numbers
of jobs available to residents. Electronics, plastics, construction, real
estate, and international banking are among the state’s more
recently-developed industries.
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Several major U.S. corporations have
moved their headquarters to Florida. An interstate highway system
exists throughout the state, and Florida is home to major
international airports. The university and community college system
has expanded rapidly, and high-technology industries have grown
steadily. The U.S. space program—with its historic launches from Cape
Canaveral, lunar landings, and the development of the space shuttle
program—has brought much media attention to the state. The citrus
industry continues to prosper, despite occasional winter freezes, and
tourism also remains important, bolstered by large capital
investments. Florida attractions, such as the large theme parks in the
Orlando area, bring millions of visitors to the state from across the
U.S. and around the world |
Today, Floridians study their state’s long
history to learn more about the lives of the men and women who shaped
their exciting past. By learning about our rich and varied heritage, we
can draw lessons to help create a better Florida for all of its citizens.
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