As 13 of Britain’s colonies declared independence in 1776, the empire’s Florida colonies, East Florida and West Florida, remained loyal to King George. Eyed by American and Spanish forces alike, the Floridas were soon engulfed in war. This lecture tells the often-overlooked story of Florida in the War of Independence.

David Head is an associate lecturer of history at the University of Central Florida. He has published four books, including Privateers of the Americas: Spanish American Privateering from the United States in the Early Republic, The Golden Age of Piracy: The Rise, Fall, and Enduring Popularity of Pirates, and A Crisis of Peace: George Washington, the Newburgh Conspiracy, and the Fate of the American Revolution, which was a finalist for the 2020 George Washington Book Prize.

Funding for this Florida Talks program is provided in part by Florida Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities and in partnership with the Southeast Volusia Historical Society. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of Florida Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities.