Little lessons in history

History gets clearer, and sometimes sadder, when you look more closely.

The Spanish created Fort Mose, in the early 1700s, as a village for runaway slaves. Thanks to Ruth Madelhaft for reminding me about it. It was the first settlement of free African-Americans, today a serene site on a salt marsh.

I wasn't naive enough to think that the Spanish welcomed the runaways out of charity, and assumed they wanted to grow the population, because at the time they were fending off the British and even the French, all competing for colonial empire. The Spanish did offer a degree of citizenship of to all comers.You just had to swear allegiance to the crown, and become a Catholic. 

I wasn't paying close enough attention. The word "fort" should have been a clue. So should its location, two miles out of town. What I understood on my second visit last week was that those sneaky conquistadors really wanted a buffer against those same British and French, as well as hostile Native Americans. The ex-slaves had to do military service. Which of course meant they were expected to were expected to defend Spanish territory with their very blood. Which they did.

Similarly, I'd always thought it charming that there has been a marketplace in the center of the Old Town, by the church, for over 400 years.

I had to read a small sign the other day to realize that during the twenty-year British rule (1763-83), it was a slave market.