July 4, 1776 – Thirteen British colonies located on the Atlantic coast of North America signed a Declaration of Independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain on this date. Florida was acquired by the British from the Spanish in 1763, and was subsequently divided into two colonies, East and West Florida, with the Apalachicola River as the dividing line. Throughout the American Revolutionary War, the Florida colonies remained loyal to the British. As fighting intensified, other loyalists fled the thirteen colonies, increasing the population of St. Augustine and Pensacola. The Florida colonies were handed back over to the Spanish in 1783 as a result of their allegiance to the Americans.
On March 3, 1845, only one day before the end of President John Tyler’s term in office, Florida became the 27th state.
~Florida Historical Society
