AHC/Plausibility Check: State of West Florida

[Umbric Man]

Oftentimes, a territory settled by Americans will be annexed by America and keep its core territory upon gaining statehood - witness Vermont, California, and Texas. All of them had brief histories as independent republics before being admitted as states.

The Republic of West Florida is fairly well known in historical circles and also had the added boost of once being a British colony. What can be done to make it its own state than just being annexed to Mississippi Territory? The boundaries can be modified as need be but keep it centered on the Gulf Coast. Bonus points if you can include Pensacola, its onetime capital, or expand it to the historical colonial boundaries it had under British rule.

 

[The Uchronian]

Oftentimes, a territory settled by Americans will be annexed by America and keep its core territory upon gaining statehood - witness Vermont, California, and Texas. All of them had brief histories as independent republics before being admitted as states.

The Republic of West Florida is fairly well known in historical circles and also had the added boost of once being a British colony. What can be done to make it its own state than just being annexed to Mississippi Territory? The boundaries can be modified as need be but keep it centered on the Gulf Coast. Bonus points if you can include Pensacola, its onetime capital, or expand it to the historical colonial boundaries it had under British rule.

Well, one thing you could do is try to convince some people looking for land that West Florida might just be a decent place to settle in. Of course, that might require an earlier removal of both the Creek and Seminole Natives in the area, but with them out of the picture, it'll be significantly less of a challenge.

Anyone doing a West Florida scenario might also want to consider incorporating some very cheap land prices as well; this, more than anything, will help start things up. And, for a nice little twist, you could also come up with a scheme to convince some free blacks to move to the area as well.

For a northern border, you could go with as much 32*24' N, which was roughly the location of the British border, I believe, and if you wanted to, you could also include "Florida Parishes" in La.(that is, any of those east of the Miss. River and north of Lake Pontchartrain; though, I think it would look better without them, IMHO).

And then, voila! You've got about the biggest West Florida possible.

 

[Tallest Skil]

What's the POD requirement?

Keep Florida British-owned until the Revolution and you could see states of East and West Florida enter the Union.

 

[Lord Grattan]

What's the POD requirement?

Keep Florida British-owned until the Revolution and you could see states of East and West Florida enter the Union.

East and West Florida were British colonies until 1783. Many Loyalists from the Carolinas fled there (as well as to the Bahamas) during the Revolutionary War.

 

[eliphas8]

Its pretty easy if you make its existence part of a deal to keep the Slave/free state balance in check.

 

[Hierophant]

The measure to keep slavery out of the western territories passes congress. American slave holders start moving into West Florida and East Florida in greater numbers.

Then one of two things happens. Either the republic is more successful and petitions for admittance as a slave state, which wouldn't break the antislavery provision.

Or the US acquires Louisiana and then Florida on schedule. The argument is made that the antislavery law doesn't apply to any territory that the US did not possess when it was passed. Since otl northern Alabama and Mississippi were within the US at the time, West Florida and East Florida are admitted as slave states.

 

[Tallest Skil]

East and West Florida were British colonies until 1783. Many Loyalists from the Carolinas fled there (as well as to the Bahamas) during the Revolutionary War.

What am I thinking of, then? I thought it had been handed back by then. Maybe Louisiana Territory…

 

[NothingNow]

What am I thinking of, then? I thought it had been handed back by then. Maybe Louisiana Territory…

Nah, they got swapped back to Spain in 1783, and Lousiana was solidly French at the time.

Really, the easiest ways to do it are:
A)Get the Republic of West Florida to be a bit more successful (kicking the Spanish out of Mobile and Pensacola,) and then have it annexed like Texas and California. Maybe it grows a bit (with the US giving it to 32° 22′N, instead of only 31°N)
B)To not break chunks off of Florida in the treaties, or rather get it all at once, and when it's ready for statehood, the two population centers in Jacksonville/Saint Augustine and Pensacola/Mobile can't settle, and break the state on the Apalachicola. Key West would of course be utterly irrelevant in all this, despite being richer then all of them combined and doubled when the statehood vote takes place.