Webpage last updated: July 20, 2023
• Forever Changed: Florida and Juan Ponce de León’s 1513 Voyage
• Turning Point for Native Cultures: The Arrival of Europeans in Florida
• The Expedition of Pánfilo de Narváez: Opening Florida to Exploration
• Hernando de Soto and the Spread of European Disease to Native Peoples
• The French in Florida: Impetus for Spanish Action
• St. Augustine: The First Permanent European Settlement in Florida
• Mission San Luis: A Microcosm of Spanish and Native Interaction
• Governor James Moore and the Destruction of Apalachee in 1704
• The British Occupation of Florida: Twenty Important Years
• The Adams-Onís Treaty: Florida Joins the United States Union
• The Dade Massacre: Beginning of the Second Seminole War
• Dr. John Gorrie: Beginning of Air Conditioning, Beginning of Change
• Florida’s Secession Convention of 1861: A Meeting that Changed Florida History
• Susan Bradford Eppes: The Civil War and a Life Changed
• The Union Blockade: Turning Point for the Civil War in Florida
• Chloe Merrick Reed and Reconstruction in Florida: A Turning Point in Public Education
• The Impact of Jonathan C. Gibbs on Florida’s Reconstruction
• The Cuban Cigar Industry Moves to Key West: Turning Point for Hispanic Communities
• The Grand Hotels of Flagler and Plant: The First Great Era of Florida Tourism
• The Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1888: The Beginning of Public Health in Florida
• The Great Freeze of 1895: A Turning Point for Florida’s Citrus Industry
• Ivy Stranahan and the Reemergence of Seminole Indian Culture in Florida
• River of Grass: Turning Point for the Everglades
• The Buckman Act: Reorganizing Public Higher Education in Florida
• Transforming South Florida: Creation of the Everglades Drainage District
• Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune’s School for Girls: A Turning Point in Education
• The 1926 Miami Hurricane: Florida’s Turning Point to Economic Depression
• The Tabert Scandal: Turning Point in the Dissolution of Florida’s Convict Lease System
• Florida and the U-Boats: Torpedoes, Saboteurs, and the Battle of the Atlantic
• Military Training in World War II Florida: Laying the Foundation for Postwar Growth
• Frozen Orange Juice Concentrate: Revolutionizing Florida’s Citrus Industry
• The Space Program in Florida
• Florida Tourism: Walt Disney World and the First Mega-Theme Parks
• Harry T. Moore and the Beginning of the Civil Rights Movement in Florida
• Fidel Castro and the Cuban Exodus: Turning Point for a People
• Gideon v. Wainwright: A Landmark Supreme Court Case
• Governor LeRoy Collins on Civil Rights: Florida Breaks Away from the Old South
• Ruth Bryan Owen: Florida’s First Congresswoman
• Priscilla and Patricia Stephens: The Civil Rights Movement in Tallahassee
• Florida’s Government in the Sunshine: How Reubin Askew Made the Difference
Although you can select a topic dealing with any time or place in history, excellent subjects often are found by investigating local or statewide history. The availability of firsthand informants, historic sites, and documents and records provides many research options, although your search for information about any topic should extend far and wide. Be sure to look at the Florida Research Directory on the FHD website for repositories in Florida. The State Library and Archives of Florida has many online resources in their collections that relate to Florida topics which can be accessed by clicking on the links below.