Written records about life in Florida began with the arrival of the
Spanish
explorer and adventurer Juan Ponce de León in 1513.
Who were the first settlers in Florida?
The first European settlement in Florida was established by
French Protestants
in 1564. They were led by French explorer Rene de Laudonniere and built Fort Caroline near current day Jacksonville. A year later, in 1565, the Spanish built a fort at St. Augustine.
Who landed in Florida first?
Juan Ponce de León
is credited with being the first European to reach Florida. In April 1513 he landed on the coast of Florida at a site between Saint Augustine and Melbourne Beach. He named the region Florida because it was discovered at Easter time (Spanish: Pascua Florida).
Who discovered Florida while looking for the mythical?
Ponce de León
and the Discovery of Florida: The Man, the Myth, and the Truth Pogo Press.
Who landed in Florida in the 1520s?
FLORIDA HISTORY:
Juan Ponce de León
First Landed on Florida Peninsula 507 Years Ago Today.
What is America’s oldest city?
St. Augustine
, founded in September 1565 by Don Pedro Menendez de Aviles of Spain, is the longest continually inhabited European-founded city in the United States – more commonly called the “Nation’s Oldest City.”
Was Florida ever underwater?
Throughout most of its history,
Florida has been under water
. … As glaciers of ice in the north expanded and melted, the Florida peninsula emerged and submerged. When the sea level was lowest, the land area of Florida was much larger than it is now. The sea level was as much as 100 feet lower than at present.
Is Florida a Spanish word?
The name comes from the daring adventurer Juan Ponce de Leon, who accidentally stumbled upon the Florida peninsula during a search to find the legendary “Fountain of Youth.” … Ponce de Leon claimed the land for Spain, calling it La Florida,
the Spanish name for flowery, covered with flowers
, or abounding in flowers.
Why did the Spanish give up Florida?
Florida had become a burden to Spain, which could not afford to send settlers or garrisons, so the Spanish government decided to cede the territory to the United
States in exchange for settling the boundary dispute along the Sabine River in Spanish
Texas.
How long was Florida A Spanish colony?
Spain agreed to transfer Florida to the U.S. in exchange for a payment of Spanish debts. In 1821 Florida became a U.S. territory, thus ending
nearly three hundred years
of Spanish rule.
Who found the Fountain of Youth?
But the name linked most closely to the search for a fountain of youth is 16th-century Spanish
explorer Juan Ponce de Leon
, who allegedly thought it would be found in Florida.
When did Spain claim Florida?
Spain’s effective claim to Florida began with Juan Ponce de León’s discovery and naming of the flowery peninsula in
1513
. Ponce de León led the first European expedition to the Dry Tortugas, today commemorated at Fort Jefferson National Monument.
What was Ponce de Leon really looking for in Florida?
The Spanish explorer was searching for
the “Fountain of Youth
,” a fabled water source that was said to bring eternal youth. Ponce de León named the peninsula he believed to be an island “La Florida” because his discovery came during the time of the Easter feast, or Pascua Florida.
What country was the last to control Florida before the United States?
Florida was under colonial rule by
Spain
from the 16th century to the 19th century, and briefly by Great Britain during the 18th century (1763–1783) before becoming a territory of the United States in 1821. Two decades later, in 1845, Florida was admitted to the Union as the 27th U.S. state.
How many years old is the first European settlement in Florida?
Founded in
1565
, St. Augustine is the oldest continuously occupied settlement of European and African-American origin in the United States. Forty-two years before the English colonized Jamestown and fifty-five years before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock, the Spanish established at St.
Which expedition did not come ashore in Texas?
After landing near Boca Ciega Bay, about 15 miles north of the entrance to Tampa Bay,
Narváez
and his pilots determined that their landing place was not suitable for settlement.
