The People of Territorial Florida Lecture Series

This program will premiere on the Museum of Florida History’s Facebook page.

This year marks the bicentennial of the transfer of Florida from Spanish rule to U.S. control and becoming a U.S. Territory. To commemorate this important historical event, the Museum of Florida History is presenting a virtual lecture series that focuses on the diverse peoples living in Florida leading up to and during the Territorial Period and how their lives were affected by the transition from Spanish to American governance and policies.

Mr. Marty Bowers, Education Coordinator at the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum and member of the Seminole Tribe of Florida, examines the struggle of Florida’s Native tribes which intensified following Florida becoming a U.S. Territory. Tribes like the Seminoles resisted and adapted as more settlers moved to the territory but ultimately, they were forced to retreat to undeveloped and undesirable parts of Florida to survive.