Abstract
Even before the Alabama Territory came into being, the inhabitants of the area north of West Florida coveted the land which lies west of the Apalachicola River. As early as 1811 two hundred sixty three residents of the Mississippi Territory petitioned the Congress of the United States to add West Florida to their jurisdiction. Not only would this give the territory sufficient population for admission to statehood, they asserted, but it would promote the interests of the people of both sections. After pointing out that many of the rivers of the Mississippi country flowed through West Florida, the petitioners stated that “where Nature fixes the boundaries of a state, there ought to be its limits when they do not conflict with its real and substantial interests.” They trusted that the gentlemen of the congress would see the situation in the same light.
Recommended Citation
Bailey, Hugh C.
(1956)
"Alabama and West Florida,"
Florida Historical Quarterly: Vol. 35:
No.
3, Article 4.
Available at:
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/fhq/vol35/iss3/4
