Occurring in Baker County, FL in 1864, the Battle of Olustee was the largest, and only major, Civil War battle to happen in the state of Florida. Confederate forces defeated Union Army forces, allowing Confederates to keep control of Florida's interior for the remainder of the war. The Union suffered around 1,800 killed, wounded, or captured. The Confederates lost about 900. The Battle of Olustee disrupted the flow of supplies from Florida to other Confederate armies, but the Union never successfully captured Florida. Most of the state remained in Confederate hands until the end of the war.
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Jonathan C. Gibbs was a prominent African-American officeholder in Florida during Reconstruction. He served as the first and only black Secretary of State and Superintendent of Public Instruction of Florida. Josiah T. Walls was a US Congressman who served three terms in the US Congress between 1871 and 1876. He was one of the first African Americans in the US Congress elected during the Reconstruction Era. He was also the first black person to be elected to Congress from Florida, Walls served four terms in the Florida Senate. Gibbs and Walls were among the most powerful black officeholders in the state of Florida during Reconstruction.
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William Sherman Jennings was Governor of Florida from 1901-1905 (Progressive Era). He went after big business in Florida when he reclaimed land from the railroad barons to whom Florida had given a lot of land to in the 1800s. He greatly increased the power of the Florid Railroad Commission by regulating the work of the state's railroads.
His wife, May Mann Jennings, fought for women's suffrage, child labor laws, public education, and better treatment of the Seminole Indians. Her efforts in nature conservation led to the creation of the Everglades National Park in 1947. The Everglades were potential farmland and communities to several early settlers in Florida. By the early 1900s, the Everglades were being drained to make way for future land development. This was very damaging to the ecosystem and the species it supported. Everglades National Park was established to conserve the natural landscape and prevent future degradation of the land and its species. |
Sidney J. Catts was governor of Florida during World War I. Florida passed prohibition of alcoholic beverages in 1917. During the war, Governor Catts encouraged anti-German sentiment and accused many African-Americans of working with Germany.
Florida contributed to the war effort in numerous ways. Over 40,000 Floridians served in the military during the war. Florida provided food and cotton for the war effort. Florida's forests provided timber and shipyards were built in Tampa and Jacksonville. A submarine base was established in Key West and 5 flight schools were opened in Florida cities. Thomas Edison worked in Key West on developing depth charges for use against submarines in naval warfare. Several people who came to Florida for training later came back as tourists or residents. |
Racial relations in Florida worsened as a result of the war. African Americans recognized how Northern states and Europe treated them with greater respect and this motivated them to fight harder for changes.
In 1919, an African-American voter registration drive kicked off in Jacksonville, but the 1920 election proved to be one of the bloodiest in Florida history. Many African-Americans who attempted to vote were beaten and some were even killed. The state remained devoted to its segregationist policies |
Between 1923 and 1925, more than 300,000 Americans moved to Florida. Florida's first concrete highway, between Jacksonville to Lake City, was completed in 1923. The first airport in Florida was established in Miami in 1912, and by 1926 there were nine cities in Florida that had their own airports. With these improvements in transportation, "snowbirds" found their way South. Florida became a place where many people wanted to buy land. There was a major land boom in Florida in the 1920s. |
Despite the massive land boom that struck Florida in the 1920s, by the early 1930s, unemployment had risen and "Hoovervilles" were all of the state.
In 1931, the Florida legislature legalized gambling on horse and dog racing & Jai Alai games to try and improve Florida's economy. By 1932, 113 Florida banks had failed & the flow of out-of-state tourists came to a halt. On March 14, 1933, Florida's banks reopened. Alfred Du Pont used his inheritance to help fix Florida's banking system. |
The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was very active in Florida. During the 1930s, they employed 50,000 young men in the state to plant trees and develop Florida's timber industry. The CCC rebuilt the Overseas Railroad which connects Key West and Miami. Public land used by CCC formed the foundation for the Florida Park System. In 1935, the Florida Park Service was created and the state's first 4 state parks were established.
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