The Republic of East Florida: Culture, Faith, and Lore (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9781432767051)

Founded by the British, the Southern colony of East Florida was built on faith, family, and freedom. Following the British withdrawal in 1783, East Florida had become a land of oppression and corruption. Spain banned all religions other than their own rigid and clericalist brand of Catholicism and propagated the myth that entering a Protestant place of worship automatically resulted in eternal damnation. Bribery bent the rules for some, but many people suffered. By 1812, the Floridian Revolution was on! The people of East Florida would unite against the Spanish Empire and elect John Houstoun McIntosh as the President of the Republic of Florida. The Republic of Florida, also called the Republic of East Florida, would be aided by many refugee families living in Georgia after the failed East Florida Rebellion of 1795. After liberating Amelia Island, the republic would establish Florida's first constitution, legislature, and judiciary. After much prayer, Saint Brigid was chosen as the heavenly protector and patron saint of Florida. This fact-based book details the culture, faith, and lore of the Floridians and their revolution which lasted from 1812 to 1819.