This is the heralded “definitive history” of Florida. No other book so fully or accurately captures the highs and lows, the grandeur and the craziness, the horrors and the glories of the past 500 years in the Land of Sunshine. Twenty-three leading historians, assembled by renowned scholar Michael Gannon, offer a wealth of perspectives and expertise to create a comprehensive, balanced view of Florida’s sweeping story. The chapters cover such diverse topics as the maritime heritage of Florida, the exploits of the state’s first developers, the astounding population boom of the twentieth century, and the environmental changes that threaten the future of Florida’s beautiful wetlands. Celebrating Florida’s role at the center of important historical movements, from the earliest colonial interactions in North America to the nation’s social and political climate today, The History of Florida is an invaluable resource on the complex past of this dynamic state. Contributors: Charles W. Arnade | Canter Brown Jr. | Amy Turner Bushnell | David R. Colburn | William S. Coker | Amy Mitchell-Cook | Jack E. Davis | Robin F. A. Fabel | Michael Gannon | Thomas Graham | John H. Hann | Dr Della Scott-Ireton | Maxine D. Jones | Jane Landers | Eugene Lyon | John K. Mahon | Jerald T. Milanich | Raymond A. Mohl | Gary R. Mormino | Susan Richbourg Parker | George E. Pozzetta | Samuel Proctor | William W. Rogers | Daniel L. Schafer | Jerrell H. Shofner | Dr. Robert A. Taylor | Brent R. Weisman

Florida is a story of astonishing growth, a state swelling from 500,000 residents at the outset of the 20th century to some 16 million at the end. As recently as mid-century, on the eve of Pearl Harbor, Florida was the smallest state in the South. At the dawn of the millennium, it is the fourth largest in the country, a megastate that was among those introducing new words into the American vernacular: space coast, climate control, growth management, retirement community, theme park, edge cities, shopping mall, boomburbs, beach renourishment, Interstate, and Internet. Land of Sunshine, State of Dreams attempts to understand the firestorm of change that erupted into modern Florida by examining the great social, cultural, and economic forces driving its transformation. Gary Mormino ranges far and wide across the landscape and boundaries of a place that is at once America's southernmost state and the northernmost outpost of the Caribbean. From the capital, Tallahassee--a day's walk from the Georgia border--to Miami--a city distant but tantalizingly close to Cuba and Haiti--Mormino traces the themes of Florida's transformation: the echoes of old Dixie and a vanishing Florida; land booms and tourist empires; revolutions in agriculture, technology, and demographics; the seductions of the beach and the dynamics of a graying population; and the enduring but changing meanings of a dreamstate. Beneath the iconography of popular culture is revealed a complex and complicated social framework that reflects a dizzying passage from New Spain to Old South, New South to Sunbelt.

Offers a comprehensive look at the history of the state of Florida, from its discovery, exploration, and settlement through its becoming a state, to notable events in the early twenty-first century.

On January 22, 1912, Henry Flagler rode on the first passenger train from South Florida to Key West. On April 2, 1513, Juan Ponce de León claimed Florida for Spain. On December 6, 1947, Everglades National Park held its opening ceremony. Featuring one entry per day of the year, this book is a fun and enlightening collection of moments from Florida history. Good and bad, famous and little-known, historical and contemporary, these events reveal the depth and complexity of the state’s past. They cover everything from revolts by Apalachee Indians to crashes at the Daytona 500, the establishment of Fort Mosé, and the recurrence of hurricanes. They involve cultural leaders like Stetson Kennedy and Zora Neale Hurston, iconic institutions like Disney and NASA, and important eras like Prohibition and the civil rights movement. Each entry includes a short description and is paired with a suggested reading for learning more about the event or topic of the day. This Day in Florida History is the perfect starting point for discovering the diversity of stories and themes that make up the Sunshine State.

The New History of Florida, the first comprehensive history of the state to be written in a quarter of a century, is the culmination of the most recent and significant work from a galaxy of specialists. Each of the 22 chapters, which weave together in one continuous narrative, was written especially for this volume. Their authors present here not only political, economic, military, and religious information but also social history and personal experiences. Endnotes and a bibliography are appended to each chapter. Florida's first inhabitants entered the peninsula and panhandle about 10,000 years ago. The Spaniard Juan Ponce de León stumbled ashore near Melbourne Beach in 1513. He called the place La Florida, the first permanent geographic name of European origin to be etched upon the maps of the American continent. Over three centuries of Spanish and English colonial history followed before the United States acquired Florida in 1821. The first state flag was raised over a new capitol in Tallahassee on May 26, 1845. Written to observe the sesquicentennial of statehood, this work will document the rich history of the Sunshine State for general readers, students, and scholars well into the twenty-first century. Contents Introduction, by Michael Gannon Original Inhabitants, by Jerald T. Milanich First European Contacts, by Michael Gannon Settlement and Survival, by Eugene Lyon Republic of Spaniards, Republic of Indians, by Amy Turner Bushnell The Missions of Spanish Florida, by John H. Hann Raids, Sieges, and International Wars, by Charles W. Arnade Pensacola, 1686-1763, by William S. Coker British Rule in the Floridas, by Robin F. A. Fabel The Second Spanish Period in the Two Floridas, by William S. Coker and Susan R. Parker Free and Slave, by Jane Landers Florida's Seminole and Miccosukee Peoples, by John K. Mahon and Brent R. Weisman U.S. Territory and State, by Daniel L. Schafer The Civil War, 1861-1865, by Canter Brown, Jr. Reconstruction and Renewal, 1865-1877, by Jerrell H. Shofner Prelude to the New Florida, 1877-1919, by Samuel Proctor Fortune and Misfortune: The Paradoxical Twenties, by William W. Rogers The Great Depression, by William W. Rogers World War II, by Gary R. Mormino Florida Politics in the Twentieth Century, by David R. Colburn The African American Experience in Twentieth-Century Florida, by Maxine D. Jones From Migration to Multiculturalism: A History of Florida Immigration, by Raymond A. Mohl and George E. Pozzetta The Big Change in the Sunshine State: A Social History of Modern Florida, by Raymond A. Mohl and Gary R. Mormino Michael Gannon, volume editor, is Distinguished Service Professor of History and director of the Institute for Early Contact Period Studies at the University of Florida. He is the author of Rebel Bishop (1964), The Cross in the Sand: The Early Catholic Church in Florida, 1513-1870 (UPF, 1965, 1983), Operation Drumbeat (1990), and the novel Secret Missions (1994); as well as the bestselling Florida: A Short History (UPF, 1993), which won a Certificate of Commendation from the American Association for State and Local History.

"An exciting voyage through Florida's past. . . . Almost every page could make you say, I didn't know that!"Tampa Tribune "Gannon's love for Florida comes through in a marvelous narrative style [that] doesn't bog down in dates and reams of facts that historians find interesting, but others don't."--Miami Herald "First rate . . . desperately needed . . . entertaining . . . fun!"--Orlando Sentinel "Gannon is a lifelong student of the history of his state, an acclaimed teacher, a masterful and tireless raconteur, and a superb stylist. Florida: A Short History showcases each of these strengths and talents and contains the latest archaeological and historical scholarship."--Florida Historical Quarterly As if Ponce de Le�n, who happened on the peninsula in 1513, returned today to demand a quick reckoning ("Tell me what happened after I was there, but leave out the boring parts!"), Michael Gannon recounts the longest recorded history of any state in the nation in twenty-seven brisk, fully illustrated chapters. From indigenous tribes who lived along spring-fed streams to environmentalists who labor to "Save Our Rivers," from the first conquistadors whose broad black ships astonished the natives to the 123,000 refugees whose unexpected immigration stunned South Floridians in 1980, the story of the state is as rich and distinctive as the story of America. And it's older than most people think. As Gannon writes, "By the time the Pilgrims came ashore at Plymouth, St. Augustine was up for urban renewal. It was a town with fort, church, seminary, six-bed hospital, fish market, and about 120 shops and houses. Because La Florida stretched north from the Keys to Newfoundland and west to Texas, St. Augustine could claim to be the capital of much of what is now the United States." Gannon tells his fast-marching saga in chronological fashion. Starting with the wilderness of the ancient earth, he fills the landscape with Indians, colonists, pioneers, entrepreneurs, politicians, and the panorama of Florida today--"the broad superhighways that wind past horse farms, retirement communities, international airports, launch pads, futuristic attractions, and come to rest, finally, amidst the gleaming towers of Oz?like cities." This revised edition concludes with a look into the twenty-first century, including "in-migration," restoration of the Everglades, education, the work force, and the infamous 2000 presidential election. Michael Gannon is distinguished service professor emeritus of history at the University of Florida. Among other honors, he has received the first Arthur W. Thompson Prize from the Florida Historical Society and the decoration Knight Commander of the Order of Isabel la Cat�lica from King Juan Carlos I of Spain. He is the author of the best-selling Operation Drumbeat and editor of The New History of Florida.