The Landings & Bay Colony

24

How Florida got its Name and

Became Part of the United States

By LRA Board member Joe Welsch

SYNOPSIS OF ACTS OF
UNITED STATES AND STATE OF
FLORIDA AFFECTING LAND IN
CAPTION :

“The Floridas” were acquired by the 
United States in 1821, under Treaty with
Spain, and all the vacant and public lands
became the property of the United States
(Federal Statues, Annotated, Volume 7
(page 810).

History

J

uan Ponce de Leon discovered FL on Easter Sunday, April 2, 1513
and originally named it “Pascua Florida”. The Spanish phrase means

“flowering Easter”. He later referred to it as “La Florida” since it was
discovered on Easter. La Florida or Feast of Flowers was named for
Spain’s Easter time Celebration. 

Taken from the Abstract of our Title Document. Our area and all of
Florida was ceded to the United States by the Treaty of 1819 with
Spain. Some excerpts of the treaty are shown below.

Treaty of 1819 With Spain Ceding Florida to the United States: “The
United States of America and His Catholic Majesty, desiring to consolidate,
on a permanent basis, the friendship and good correspondence which
happily prevails between the two parties, have determined to settle and
terminate all their differences and pretensions by a treaty, which
shall designate, with precision, the limits of their respective
bordering territories in North America.”

“Article 2. His Catholic Majesty cedes to the 
United States, in full property and sovereignty, all
the territories which belong to him, situated to the
eastward of the Mississippi, known by the name
of East and West Florida. The barracks, and
other buildings, which are not private
property, archives and documents which
relate directly to the property and sovereignty
of said province are included in this article.
The said archives and documents shall be left
in possession of the commissioners or officers
of the United States, duly authorized to
receive them.”

“in Witness Whereof, we the underwritten
Plenipotentiaries of the United States of America
and his Catholic Majesty, have signed, by virtue
of our powers, the present treaty of amity, settlement
and limits, and have hereunto affixed our seals,
respectively.”

“Done at Washington this 22nd day of February 1819.”

John Quincy Adams
Luis de Onis