African Americans have been a
prominent element in the history and culture of Florida
since Estavanico explored Florida with Panfilo de Narvaez,
and continued with the establishment of the first free black
community in North America (Fort Mose, north of St. Augustine
in the 1730s). As a slave state, Florida had plantations
that harvested cotton and later, African Americans provided
much of the labor for the state’s timber and turpentine
industries. After Emancipation in 1863, African-Americans
emerged as important Florida leaders in literature, medicine,
newspapers, businesses, and education.
The Florida Heritage Collection contains a variety of
works which cover some critical issues associated with
African Americans in Florida. The civil rights movement
forced the issue of desegregation in public services, especially
in the school system. A great number of problems resulted
from this process, and the struggle contributed to the
cultural growth. The presence of the African American element
in Florida history has enriched Florida culture, and evidence
of this can be seen in many of the works in this collection.
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