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A People's History of Florida 1513-1876: How Africans, Seminoles, Women, and Lower Class Whites Shaped the Sunshine State
Beneath the normal tropical romanticism that has comprised Florida history, lies a long bloody history of struggle of runaway slaves and Seminoles fighting the U.S. military for land and freedom. Beneath the fancy tourist hotels, theme parks, and lily-white suburban enclaves, lie the bones of black Seminole maroons who fled from their masters, seeking freedom under Spanish and Seminole protection. Underneath the shore-front retirement homes of Northern migrants, the wealthy mansions of South Florida, and the overdeveloped downtown areas, lie the bones of Florida's poor whites who fought against an aristocracy of big banks, wealthy speculators, and aristocratic planters. Underneath the Civil War tourist attractions, gift shops, and battlefield renditions, lie the bones of poor whites who were drafted into the Confederate army to fight for the privileged, only to desert and return to fight Florida's Confederate government on the home front. You get the picture. This is not a postcard image of Florida as a sunny beach found in a tourist-based gift shop in the middle of a Gulf-front town. This is the blood, sweat, and tears of countless people who fought for freedom, land, and autonomy.
Florida history was defined by runaway slaves who formed free maroon settlements in proximal location of their Seminole allies, fighting the U.S. military for decades until they successfully achieved their freedom on the field of battle. It was defined by Seminoles, Miccosukees, and Red Stick Creeks fighting against the encroachment of white settlers. It was defined by poor whites seeking independence from an aristocratic planter class that considered them of no higher standard than the "negroes and savages" they all despised. It was defined by runaway slaves who fled in mass from the plantations during the Civil War, organizing and undermining the Confederate Florida government from within. It was defined by the poor whites who evaded the draft and deserted from the Confederate army, organizing into bands and undermining the Confederate Florida government from within. It was defined by the freemen during the Reconstruction era, seeking to create autonomous religious and educational institutions, form autonomous homestead communities, and arm themselves in defense against the reaction of former slaveholders. These people defined the real character of historical Florida. Underneath numerous governments, there was always turbulent unrest that compromised their rule. The People's History movement is expanding into numerous historical areas, reshaping the way that they have traditionally been told and redefining the way that we generally look at history.
Florida history was defined by runaway slaves who formed free maroon settlements in proximal location of their Seminole allies, fighting the U.S. military for decades until they successfully achieved their freedom on the field of battle. It was defined by Seminoles, Miccosukees, and Red Stick Creeks fighting against the encroachment of white settlers. It was defined by poor whites seeking independence from an aristocratic planter class that considered them of no higher standard than the "negroes and savages" they all despised. It was defined by runaway slaves who fled in mass from the plantations during the Civil War, organizing and undermining the Confederate Florida government from within. It was defined by the poor whites who evaded the draft and deserted from the Confederate army, organizing into bands and undermining the Confederate Florida government from within. It was defined by the freemen during the Reconstruction era, seeking to create autonomous religious and educational institutions, form autonomous homestead communities, and arm themselves in defense against the reaction of former slaveholders. These people defined the real character of historical Florida. Underneath numerous governments, there was always turbulent unrest that compromised their rule. The People's History movement is expanding into numerous historical areas, reshaping the way that they have traditionally been told and redefining the way that we generally look at history.
636 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 9, 2009
87 people are currently reading
230 people want to read
About the author
Adam Wasserman
6 books3 followersAdam Wasserman is a native resident of Sarasota, Florida. Inspired by the Peoples History series and other critical historical texts, he has determined to base his writing career on revisionist history, social change, and global issues inflicting the world today.
After reading numerous Peoples History renditions, Adam decided to derive a comprehensive, revisionist history of where he was born and raised. Peoples History is based on largely ignored primary sources and narratives to weave together a picture of how common people experienced and influenced history, rather than leaders or governments.
Wasserman began applying this revolutionary concept of history to his home state of Florida, completing and self-releasing A Peoples History of Florida 1513-1876: How Africans, Seminoles, Women, and Lower Class Whites Shaped the Sunshine State. A Peoples History of Florida continues the Peoples History approach, formatting history from below through mostly ignored primary sources and narratives. While focusing primarily on revisionist history, social issues, and contemporary politics, Wassermans planned catalogue could be called nothing but diverse.
He is currently in the process of finishing up a promotional book, Two Sides to the Coin: A History of Gold, for reputable financial planning firm Phillip Roy Financial Services. Two Sides to the Coin narrates the social and economic history of gold, along with its importance and implications for investors in the current economic recession. He has several works set for the future, including A Peoples History of Florida 1877 to the Present, Fighting Modern Day Slavery: The Coalition of Immokalee Workers, and a narrative memoir of a Holocaust survivor.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
November 4, 2022
Sufficient references to continue further reading. Begins with a general layout of the book and a clear transparency of bias. I recommend as a book to own in your library if you plan to further investigate the history of Florida.
April 13, 2012
The idea of writing a Florida history book focused on the groups that get less attention in history - white females, poor whites, and non-whites - seems good. Unfortunately, I don't think the author was an especially good writer and worse the book comes off as radical liberal revisionist history with too much of an axe to grind.
August 29, 2019
An excellent history book, but poorly written. Some quotes and paragraphs repeated so often that at times you feel that you have lost your place. The book was heavily footnoted but the author's conclusions lead one to believe that the facts were cherry picked for political bias. But with all it's flaws, it is a fascinating read, chock full of facts that were unknown to me, a Floridian who enjoys reading about history.
The author's bio says that he was only 21 when they published this book. My suggestion would be to do a 2nd edition, with a better editor.
The author's bio says that he was only 21 when they published this book. My suggestion would be to do a 2nd edition, with a better editor.
July 19, 2018
I’m not sure what I was expecting, I’ve read a ton of history books. This one was particularly dry. I skimmed a bit. 🤷♀️
October 4, 2016
I really wanted to love this book but I have several issues with it. I do want to applaud Wasserman for the enormous amount of research and thought he obviously put into it. A book like this was a long time coming.
That being said, Wasserman often paints with a very large brush and over simplifies many concepts and over-analyses other issues and events. There were problems with missing endnotes and a plethora of typos that were an annoyance. He also could have used a fierce editor here. While many of the quotes are nice and illustrate his points well it was overdone, and seemed as if there was a spirit of, "if one quote is good on this topic then five will be even better!" That is how you exhaust your reader. If someone wants to know more on a topic they will follow your endnotes and bibliography (was there one? I didn't see suggested readings in the ebook version. Would have been helpful.) to do so. Choose the best quote or two and leave it at that, mention that others say something similar and cite it. There was also a great deal of repetition that could have been remedied by a good editor.
Again, this is the type of book that is needed. I may not agree with all of his conclusions but they are thought-provoking and we are long overdue to revisit this history of Florida. This book and this study has great potential still, at the very least in inspiring other scholars to get to the archives and see the raw history for themselves and draw their own conclusions. Refer to previous historians but do your own research.
That being said, Wasserman often paints with a very large brush and over simplifies many concepts and over-analyses other issues and events. There were problems with missing endnotes and a plethora of typos that were an annoyance. He also could have used a fierce editor here. While many of the quotes are nice and illustrate his points well it was overdone, and seemed as if there was a spirit of, "if one quote is good on this topic then five will be even better!" That is how you exhaust your reader. If someone wants to know more on a topic they will follow your endnotes and bibliography (was there one? I didn't see suggested readings in the ebook version. Would have been helpful.) to do so. Choose the best quote or two and leave it at that, mention that others say something similar and cite it. There was also a great deal of repetition that could have been remedied by a good editor.
Again, this is the type of book that is needed. I may not agree with all of his conclusions but they are thought-provoking and we are long overdue to revisit this history of Florida. This book and this study has great potential still, at the very least in inspiring other scholars to get to the archives and see the raw history for themselves and draw their own conclusions. Refer to previous historians but do your own research.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews