On April 18, 1818, General Andrew Jackson led U.S. troops in a decisive battle at Suwanee, Florida, marking the end of the First Seminole War. Jackson’s forces attacked a coalition of Seminole Indians and Black allies—many of whom were formerly enslaved Africans who had sought freedom in Florida. The battle devastated the Suwanee settlement, with many non-combatants displaced or killed. The First Seminole War, though framed by the U.S. as a military action against hostile tribes, also functioned as a campaign to re-enslave Black fugitives and to expand U.S. control over Spanish Florida. This event underscores the intersection of military expansion, Native resistance, and the African fight for freedom.
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