Changes

In 1845 Florida became a state. By this time, most of almost half the non-native population were enslaved blacks. William Dunn Moseley became the first governor and he saw a period of increased white settlement, but many of these were plantation farmers and small-scale farmers who sometimes had slaves. By the 1850s, there was greater pressure to remove the remaining Seminoles to Indian Territory. Tensions between remaining Seminoles and settlers increased, while the presence of the US army scouts created tensions. Ft. Myers was also attacked by Seminoles in a raid but the main incident that start the Third Seminole War was when Billy Bowlegs, a Seminole chief, led a rain near Ft. Myers against a plantation in 1855. By this time, the Seminoles were accusing settlers of encroaching on their land. The last Seminole war lasted fro from 1855-1858, which was a conflict of mostly raidsrather than formal battles. Once again, the US resorted to attacking settlements and destroying farmland to effectively starve the Seminoleswho would often hide after a raid or guerilla attack. This worked and the Seminoles surrendered in 1858, with the remaining population removed to Indian Territory. Only a few Seminoles remained in the Everglades. By 1860, 44% of the population of Florida were slaves, with the state focusing on a plantation economy. During the Civil War, the Union occupied most of the major port towns of Florida, including Cedar Key, Jacksonville, and Key West. The only major battle was the Battle of Olustee that took place in Baker County that resulted in a Confederate victory, although it proved inconclusive in affecting the outcome of the war and presence of Union forces. Florida was readmitted into the Union in 1868 after accepting the 13th and 14th Amendments to the Constitution. Florida was about 44% African American by this time but voter suppression effectively meant that nearly the entire African American population was disenfranchised. During the Great Migration in the 20th century, the population began to change as the state continued to disenfranchise blacks and northern cities became a many attraction for the African American population.<ref>For more on how Florida became a state and development after the Civil War, see: Gannon, Michael, ed. <i>The History of Florida</i>. Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 2013.</ref>