Aviva, Florida Española

POD / Senario
In 1792 Europe was on fire. The French Revolution had occured and killed the King of France. Some Spanish leaders saw the new Republican France as a potentialy powerful ally. Others including the most of the Royal Familia, wtih the notable exception of the Duke of Valencia, agreed that the powers of Great Britain, Austria and Russia would be overwelmingly powerful, even if not at first but there population and industrial capacity would eventually destroy the French. But they where still Spanish and would never ally with the vile English. As a result of the Royal Familia not agreeing with allying with France nor Great Britain's Legions, as the Spanish people called the Coalition, Spain decided to stay neutral... possibley through hell or high water.But the threat of revolution still hung in the air, so to assure niether side would destroy Spain, the Royal Familia signed the Spanish Bill of Rights wich assured all its citizens equal human rights wich proved to be an excellent deterent against revolution, exspecialy when the words of peace and non-revolution were backed up with the army's bayonet points as the King could suspend Habaeus Corpus in times of great crisis, such as a revolution. But they did not stop there, in secret from the other side they signed non-agression pacts with both the Coalition and France in return for trading rights.The decision to be neutral proved decisive. The Spanish armies in the New World stayed at OTL pre-napoleon sized. The navy and army kept Spain as a decisive player in the Americas. The Pensecola based navy stayed at a formidable size, able to perhaps sail the seven seas as in days of yore and possibley even conquista new lands in the Orient, Americas, or even Europe.

Adams–Onís Treaty
The signing of the Adams-Onis Treaty goes awry when Spanish ships in New Orleans refuse to let any trade through the city. Secretary Adams realizes that without New Orleans the economy would quickly collapse with no reliable way to get products from the North West Territory to Europe or the Orient. Spanish ships threaten to destroy every city along the Mississippi. Finally succombing to pressure from the Spanish, the President, and Congress to resolve the situation he signs away the disputed territory in Florida and the Mississippi along the Apalachicola and the following OTL Georgia borders. Congress receives the treaty and initially reject the treaty but when they receive word of the Spanish ships in New York Harbor threatening to destroy the city they review the treaty. They can oppose the Spanish but the effort is futile as the United States Navy was damaged majorly from a serise of hurricanes. The Speaker of the House asks Congress to declare war on Spain but the measure fails by one vote. Finally they accept the treaty after Spanish ships leave New York harbor and enter the Potomac River.

Florida after the signing of the Adams-Onis Treaty
West Florida became an economic power-house with Pensacola Port and the newly gained resources in the Mississippi territory. Trading with nearly every island in the Caribbean, Central America, the Guyanas and Venezuela. The common West Floridian grew almost as rich as the average small plantation owner in Virginia. Spain decided to re-unite Florida into the Colony of La Florida. It is not known why they did this as the historical records where severely damaged during the Spanish Civil War, but what is known is that many East Floridians where comparable to the average child worker in Detroit during the early 1900s.

Whatever the reason was for the re-uniting, the colonies the problems immediately became apparent. The city to be the colony's capital was still undefined and many officials where calling for the Western city of Pensacola to become the capital while others said it should be St.Augustine the historic capital of La Florida. Even some American settlers in North Florida got into the argument. It eventually got so bad riots occurred in both Pensacola and St. Augustine over the issue. Again the records where lost of what exactly the Spanish Crown said but the list of it can be made out from the records of speeches from politicians in La Florida. The Crown had decided to have the governor of the colony, José Jackson to found a capitol. He was personally chosen by the Crown to lead La Florida, and was a signer of the Spanish Bill of Rights as well as a major force behind its writing and approval. José Jackson, reportedly after arguing heavily with his wife and daughter over the issue to the point where he lost his voice, chose to found the city on the St.John's River. Initially the city was set to be called St.John or St.Thomas Aquinas, no one is quite sure, but he eventually decided to name the city Jacksonville.

Meanwhile while this was happening President Monroe issued the Monroe Doctrine which is still in use today. The Doctrine basically states that European colonization of America would cease or it would be taken as a declaration of war. Monroe governed over a relatively peaceful time in US history and the rest of his tern was rather uneventful except for the celebrations of his birthday, which to many Americans made them glad that he had to pay out of pocket for those expenses (if you get what I mean).

Unfortunately for La Florida the Era of Good Feelings didn't go very far south of the border. Pensacola though very operational, saw a fall in trade after the re-uniting. Many just attributed this to statistical chance. Others said it was because the Eastlians as they called them where poorer and sucking up there resources. The second idea began to catch fire in Pensacola. On February 12, 1824 Pensacolas seceded from La Florida and Spain. Unfortunately their city-state was crushed in a matter of weeks when Spanish grenadiers entered city-limits the rebells almost literally fled for the hills which where a very long ways away from the flat Florida turf. The grenadiers where ordered not to destroy the city or harm the population. But as grenadiers and wanting the spoils of war they did anyway. When Jackson heard of there actions wich included burning churches and home, looting, and raping women and children he had the commander court-marshaled and the unit disbanded and ,in a way, banish from La Florida and forced over the Mississippi into the vast plains, they're never heard from again. The populous of the colony and even the President of the United States commended the Governor for decisively acting against an obviously horrible crime.

The Governor was riding a high tide of support from not only the people but the Crown as well. Records that where not damaged show that Governor Jackson was even widely liked in the Spanish Royal Family Some records,mainly letters later found in a secret compartment in the Royal Palace of Madrid, show that he and the Queen of Spain Maria Josepha were even where having an affair at the time as he visited Spain every 2-3 years, but only once did she come to La Florida, in the Spring of 1827 and stayed until the following Spring. Although her letters to her husband said that she was trying to get well from the clean and reputedly healing airs of La Florida it is widely believed that they where deceitful or just out right lies, as during this time Jackson's wife was in a hospital in Pensacola recovering from a high fever and dysentery, whilst he and Maria stayed at the Governors Estate in Jacksonville.

The citizens of La Florida had prosperous years under Governor Jackson. Although he began to crack down more violently after the death of Maria Josepha, and he also created a memorial to the Queen in the center of the city, as well as 9 statues of her in the Governor's Estate. Jacksonville grew tremendously under the Governor but this is not all that helped spur its growth. The position it was in on the St.John's River gave it substantial income from the citrus farms in East Florida. Pensacola did except the Easterners eventually even electing one to be their Mayor in 1832.

But all things must come to end. On December 26, 1834 he died after battling yellow fever and tuberculosis. Governor Jackson was given a state funeral in La Florida, the proceedings lasted almost four days. Flags all across the colony where at half staff to commemorate him and his life. The Crown even was involved in mourning his death, the entire city of Madrid was ordered to be silent for half an hour out of respect for the Governor. The only other person ever to received this honor besides the Royal Family was General Franco for his involvement in restoring the monarchy and being the leading general in the Spanish Civil War.

Like Father, Like Son
The colony was put into the hands of his son Pedro Jackson. The people extremely doubted his abilities because of his intense stutter and young age of 21, but also beacuse his official birth-records were no-where to be found and many believed that he was the child of Maria Josepha and the King wouldn't have even known it as she spent nearly 13 months in La Florida. Soon though a problem arose to challenge his prowess. The American settlers in the Mississippi region began to speak out against the monarchy and called for the colony to be annexed by America. Although no one knows why the Americans chose this time to speak out against the Crown and the colony many believe it is because of the new Governor's disabilities created an opportunity for them.

Whatever the reason Governor Pedro Jackson acted almost immediately. He sent a battalion of militia from Pensacola to the region. The commanding officer told the Americans that if they would not end the speech against the crown they would be forced out of the country. Cherokee Natives in the area joined the militia as the settlers often tried to push them off their lands. Anit-American setiment ran high in the Spanish camps.

The Americans, with the rememberences of a bloody war against another crown, refused to stop critising the Spanish Monarchy. Colonel Jose, following orders, attacked American settlements and drove them across the US-Spanish border. Bloody conflicts continued in the wooded areas but the white settlers where no match for trained Spanish grenadiers and Cherokee warriors. Many met a horrible fate with all there possessions burned and thier family killed. The horror of the event was not fully relised until the records were realesed in 1902.

Governor Pedro was hailed as a hero in La Florida for expelling the Americans who were constantly plauging the people and were viewed pretty much like illegal-imigrants in the 21rst century America. The American President critisized his actions, what he said exactly remians unknown but the responces to his speech show that it was something between a critisizment to nearly a declaration of war against Spain. But whatever he said many officials in La Florida to New Spain where out-raged by his speech. Not surprisingly many records show that the citizens of La Florida began to exhibit many anti-american sentiments to the point of hate-crimes against merchants from the US.

The Spanish Crown soon after the Mississippi Event had much larger problems then annoying Americanos. Many colonies in the New World were rebelling. The armies in the New World weren't prepared for all out rebellion. Thankfuly (or unfortunantley according to your view) acording to records almost all of the colonies had a significant amount of people wishing to stay with the Crown. Fighting seemed to be going in favor of the Spanish Loyalist. one such example of this was at the Battle of Tijuana where the Loyalist and Rebel armies fought 3 miles out-side of the city and fought ferociously. Although the records of many of the battles were sent to Spain for presevation they were lost in the Spanish Civil War, but we can get a picture of what happened from a Loyalist journal.

''We saw the enemy and formed battle-ranks. The noise of the shots are deafening, yet seeing the enemy's head severed from his shoulders or his gut thrown towards the sky always seems to out-way the pain in my ears. About half ways through the battle we readied our bayonets. Its a joke realy, only a third of us realy have bayonets, some in desparation had melted sharp pieces of metal to the gun's barrel, others only needed a yell and they would if they had to rip the others throat out with ther thier teeth. Thank God for the calvary though, they hit them in thier unawares and tore through them, and with a shout of strength we charged. The fighting lasted till dawn of the next day and we stood with blood in our face and hair, victourious.''

But all this changed with Simon Bolivar. Records of his ascent to power in the rebellion were lost during the Bolivarian Civil War after his death. But however it happend he became the Washington of the South.