Purchase of Florida

Map showing the results of the Adams-Onís Treaty of 1819. By Citynoise [CC BY-SA 2.5 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5/)]. Available from Wikimedia Commons.

The Adams-Onís Treaty (also called the Transcontinental Treaty or the Purchase of Florida) was signed on 22 February 1819 by U.S. Secretary of State John Quincy Adams and Spanish foreign minister Luis de Onís y González-Vara. The treaty was proclaimed exactly two years later, on 22 February 1821.

A boundary was established between the United States and New Spain, and Florida was given to the United States. The United States agreed to pay the legal claims of United States citizens against Spain, up to $5 million.

The Florida Territory was created on 30 March 1822, when East Florida and part of West Florida were merged. Florida became the 27th state on 3 March 1845.

My great-grandparents Edward and Ellen (Dahlquist) Anderson moved from Chicago, Illinois to St. Petersburg, Florida. My paternal grandparents Henry and Helen (Anderson) Gatlin used to go to Vero Beach, Florida in the winter. My brother and his family live in Florida.

References
Adams-Onís Treaty 
Florida Territory
The U.S. acquires Spanish Florida