Sunshine State Saga – Part I, From the Beginning through the 1800s

President Zachary Taylor, the nation’s twelfth leader, dies suddenly and is succeeded by Millard Fillmore from 1850 to 1853.

Another conflict rears its ugly head in 1854, this one called the French and Indian War (also called the Seven Years’ War), which will impact Florida when it ends.

SIGNIFICANT SUNSHINE STATE DATES

1845 – Florida admitted to the Union and becomes the 27th state

1862 – Creation of USDA, Homestead Act

1884 – First Florida land grant college established at Florida Agricultural College, Lake City

1885 – The Florida Constitution is revised renaming the Commissioner of Lands and Immigration as the Commissioner of Agriculture

1894-95 – The Great Freeze of 1894-95 destroys citrus groves throughout Florida

Seminole Indians, still not ready to cede away all their land and rights, continue their fight as the Third Seminole War begins in 1855.

Centuries later, despite the conflicts and terrible losses, the Seminole tribe remains one of the largest cattle producers in the state, with ties to citrus, sugar cane, and vegetable production as well. Like the two previous wars, the outcome is the same: loss of everything, including fertile fields.

The third conflict ends in 1858 as the country, deeply divided, edges closer to the Civil War.

1860s
Presidential Acts
Nearly two decades later, in May 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signs the first of two pivotal acts. The first is the establishment of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), to support the nation’s fledging farming industry.

Just five days later, President Lincoln approves the Homestead Act, providing that any adult citizen or prospective citizen who has never borne arms against the U.S. government can claim 160 acres of surveyed government land.

After living on and improving the land for five years, the settler is entitled to the property, free and clear.

A few months later, President Lincoln signs the Morrill Act into law on July 2, 1862.

Sponsored by Vermont Congressman Justin Morrill, the land-grant bill is designed to fund a system of agricultural and engineering colleges and provides states with 30,000 acres of federal land for each member of its Congressional delegation.

The land is then sold by the states and the proceeds used to fund public colleges.