Today in History - Nov 21 - The First Seminole War

November 21 is thought to be the anniversary of the start of The First Seminole War in 1817. For the Seminoles, this was considered to be a war already 5 years on, and would go on for another half century. But for the US regime, this was the start of a new war with the Seminoles.

It starts when the US built a fort near the Creek village of Fowltown. The American soldiers insisted that it was their land and that the Creeks had to relocate elsewhere due to a forced treaty with other Creek tribes. The chief of the village refused, saying he had nothing to do with the treaty. The US sent in soldiers, and were promptly attacked. They weathered two attacks before retreating into the Florida swamps.

Florida was controlled by Spain, and had granted freedom to everyone in Florida. This made it a safe haven for people fleeing the US regime be they slave or native resistance. But of course, the US regime would not tolerate these things. So incursions into Spanish territory began ramping up to attack the natives and re-enslave black people. Under the command of the infamous mass murderer Andrew Jackson, the Seminole were driven into Southern Florida. Two years later, Spain would cede Florida to the US, and things would only get worse, as Andrew Jackson first became governor, then president. The resulting ethnic cleansing would consume the lives of thousands.