This podcast covers the period from the mid 1600's to the Stono Rebellion in South Carolina in 1739. In this first episode of a miniseries within our podcast, we discuss runaway slaves and the founding of Fort Mose. In fact, African runaway slaves and Native Americans would prove exceedingly loyal to defending Spanish Florida from English invasions during the 1700’s. Michael Browning, The Palm Beach Post 'A superb narrative.Grunwald writes with verve and wit.' - David Fleshler, South Florida Sun-Sentinel 'The Swamp is a tremendous book - impressive in scope, well researched and well written, rich in history yet urgently relevant to current events. This willingness to harbor runaway slaves would alter the relationship between Florida and its neighbors to the north for the next 90 years. Cape Coral is a low-lying, pancake-flat spit of exposed former swampland, honeycombed by an astonishing 400 miles of drainage ditches disguised as real-estate amenities, but to Tattersall it was a. This included enticing slaves from English territories to flee to Florida and achieve freedom if they converted to Catholicism. This was made an official policy in 1693 by edict of King Carlos II. This culminated with Queen Anne’s War which decimated Florida.Ībsent the gold of other Spanish colonies in the Americas, Spain actively looked for those who would “serve” the crown in its military and economic needs in Florida. Spanish Florida had been a thriving colony in the early 1600’s but beginning around 1650, measles outbreaks, raids from the English, the French and from Pirates began weakening the mission-based economy of the region.

The Swamp by Michael Grunwald