Abstract
When Bernardo de Galvez raised the lion-and-castle banner over Pensacola in 1781, British rule in West Florida came to a close and the Gulf of Mexico was again a Spanish sea. Keeping it thus was another matter, however, for the young and restless nation to the north was expansionist minded. One of the keys to Spanish defense of Louisiana and West Florida was the presence of 20,000 Indians whose friendship and support would determine who would control the area. Spanish governors and commandants signed various treaties with these Indians between 1784 and 1802. Basically, there were two types of treaties: defensive alliances for mutual protection against foreign encroachment, and treaties which ceded small bits of territory upon which Spain erected fortifications and warehouses from which to supply the Indians with trade goods.
Recommended Citation
Holmes, Jack D. L.
(1969)
"Spanish Treaties with West Florida Indians 1784-1802,"
Florida Historical Quarterly: Vol. 48:
No.
2, Article 4.
Available at:
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/fhq/vol48/iss2/4
