List of colonial governors of Florida
The colonial governors of Florida governed Florida during its colonial period (before 1821). The first European known to arrive there was Juan Ponce de León in 1513, but the governorship did not begin until 1565, when Pedro Menéndez de Avilés founded St. Augustine and was declared Governor and "Adelantado" of Florida. This district was subordinated to the Viceroyalty of New Spain. In 1763, following the transfer of Florida to Britain, the territory was divided into West Florida and East Florida, with separate governors. This division was maintained when Spain resumed control of Florida in 1783, and continued as provincial divisions with the Spanish Constitution of 1812. The Spanish transferred control of Florida to the United States in 1821, and the organized, incorporated Florida Territory was established on March 30, 1822. This became the modern State of Florida on March 3, 1845.
Fugitive slaves in the United States
Prior to the establishment of the United States, and extending until Florida became a territory of the United States in 1821, the destination of many fugitive slaves was Spanish Florida. In a policy formalized in 1693, Spain offered escaped British slaves safe refuge and freedom, provided they converted to Catholicism and served a period in the militia. The first free settlement of former slaves in the Americas was Santa Teresa de Mosé, near St. Augustine, Florida. This community disbanded when Florida became a British possession in 1763, most of the slaves withdrawing to Cuba with the Spanish troops defending the San Marcos fort in Saint Augustine.