The Florida History Podcast

Why did Florida stay loyal to Britain during the American Revolution?  We discuss the factors. 

We introduce why Florida was so important in the American Revolution despite the lack of teaching about it in schools. 

We discuss the repopulation of St Augustine, Pensacola's importance, the founding of New Smyrna Beach, the early citrus industry and the St Johns River in this episode. 

In this episode we discuss the British takeover of Florida and why  the British made Florida an important strategic point in their empire. Florida was , contrary to the mythical American narrative about the era, critical between 1763 and 1782.   We begin the road to the American Revolution with this episode. 

In this episode we discuss the economics of slavery and The War of Jenkins Ear including the 1740 British Siege of St Augustine .

The first free African-American settlement in North America is created in Florida and that leads to the region's largest largest slave rebellion to the north in South Carolina. We discuss that and the general build up to the War of Jenkins Ear.

In this episode we discuss the worst period of Florida's Colonial History,  Queen Anne's War from 1703 onward. This period left Florida depopulated and an economic basket-case, a far cry from the thriving colony of the previous 100 years. 

We discuss the origins of Queen Anne's War including its links to the European War of Spanish Succession.  The war kicked off in 1702 and would prove a calamitous event for Florida. We discuss the issues in 1702, and the battles that took place that year. including the siege of St Augustine  by the English. 

On the second episode of our Albion Florida series we discuss the reasons the Castillo de San Marcos was built, the frequent raiding of La Florida by English and French pirates as well as the founding on Pensacola and the process by which the Spanish Crown finally built a secure fort in St Augustine. 

In the introduction to our series designed to bust historical myths, we discuss why Florida was different than the other European colonies in North America as well as discussing the El Camino Real road that connected St Augustine with towns in the interior of the colony. 

Why are we launching a new podcast series about colonial Florida? We answer that here. 

We discuss previous Florida Governors whose ideology wasn't conservative or liberal but were in fact populists.

We discuss a particularly infamous legislative panel in Florida's History- the Charley Johns led FLIC. 

We discuss the Tallahassee Sit Ins, a pivotal moment in the Civil Rights movement.

For Martin Luther King Jr.'s Birthday we discuss Civil Rights and 1964 in Florida including the St Augustine Movement and legislative fights over Civil Rights. 

Claude Pepper's second political career as a member of the US House of Representatives from 1963 until his death in 1989 stands as one of the greatest second acts in American political history. 

We discuss President Jimmy Carter's history with the State of Florida. 

MSNBC contributor Fernand Amandi joins us to discuss the extensive ties between President John F. Kennedy and the state of Florida. 

Former Secretary of State Bruce Smathers joins us to discuss the legacy of his father the late US senator George Smathers.  We discuss Senator Smathers time in the US House, the 1950election and his  ascendency into the Democratic Party leadership in the US Senate.

MSNBC contributor Fernand Amandi joins Kartik Krishnaiyer to discuss the surprisingly extensive links between the Beatles and the State of Florida. Outside the United Kingdom and perhaps India, it can be argued Florida contributed more to the Beatles story than any other place on the planet. 

Current Florida Governor Ron DeSantis embraced the motto "Let Us Alone" in introducing his new Florida Guard idea.  On this edition of The Florida History Podcast, Robert Buccellato and Kartik Krishnaiyer discuss Democratic Governor William Dunn Moseley who originated the motto and used it on his personal state flag. Moseley was a leading establishment Democrat who became the state's first Go...

We've talked a lot about George Smathers on previous podcasts, but why is The Florida Squeeze and this podcast launching a project to look comprehensively at Smathers career? We answer that question this week. 

Last week, Governor Ron DeSantis in response to the idea of systemic racism in highway building said "a road is a road." Well, on this week's podcast we will demonstrate that is not the case with several examples from the state of Florida where roads were built right through African-American neighborhoods. Brook Hines joins Kartik Krishnaiyer to discuss this sorry history. 

We look back at the life of Congressman Charles Bennett with a special contribution from Florida Squeeze writer and former Bennett staffer, Scott Gaillard. We also discus our upcoming Florida Squeeze series on Senator George Smathers.

On this episode we look back at Congressman and Governor Millard Caldwell who led the state during World War II.