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Florida became part of the United States 200 years ago this week

The formal exchange happened in St. Augustine, where the Spanish flag was lowered and the American flag was raised.

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — Two centuries years ago, St. Augustine was on the edge of a big-time change: It was about to be an American city.

On July 10, 1821, Spain transferred East Florida to the United States. The ceremony took place in Spain's original settlement of St. Augustine.

"And the transfer documents are written in Spanish and English," historian Susan Parker said. She has researched those documents.

In the same place where crowds gather to watch the 4th of July fireworks today, in 1821, outside of the Castillo de San Marco, there was ceremonial gunfire instead. Parker said there was gunfire by the Castillo artillery and by the American ships in the harbor.

The flags were also changed out.

"They lowered the Spanish flag halfway," Parker explained. "They raised the American flag halfway so they were just about next to each other,  and then the American flag goes up and the Spanish flag goes down.

There was also Spain's gift to America of the key to the city.

Parker said Spanish documents note that Spain gave the U.S. the key to the city gates in St. Augustine. However, whether that was a key that unlocked the actual gates or just ceremonial is unclear, Parker said. 

Parker explained that the U.S. wanted Florida for farming land, to have control over the Native Americans as well as runaway slaves who sought freedom in Spanish Florida, and then there was the coastline.

"It was highly desirable to get Florida," she said.

When the U.S. acquired West and East Florida in 1821, it gave the young country a tremendous amount of extra coastline. 

Previously, the United States' coastline stopped at the Georgia line.  After the transfer, it wrapped around Florida and along the Gulf of Mexico near Texas. 

While the U.S. wanted Florida, the Spanish didn't need it. 

"They didn’t need it anymore," Parker said. "It was costing them a lot to keep it."

Parker said the people who stayed in St. Augustine were probably skeptical of this U.S. thing.

"Some might have said, 'Okay, how long is this going to last?'" Parker explained.

However, 200 years later and the Atlantic coastline of Florida still flies the American flag.

    

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