FREEDOM IN FLORIDA: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF RESISTANCE AND ETHNOGENESIS IN 19TH CENTURY FLORIDA By MARY ELIZABETH IBARROLA A THESIS PRESENTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 2016 © 2016 Mary Elizabeth Ibarrola To the women who make and write Florida history ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I thank my parents for indulging my book hoarding tendencies all these years; my boyfriend, Wesley White, for making me eat vegetables, even when I don’t want to; my advisor, Dr. James M. Davidson, for his perpetual optimism and encouragement; and my committee members, Susan deFrance and Ken Sassaman, for setting high expectations and supporting my academic aspirations. I also thank Carl Halbirt and Terry Weik for the use of their data and site materials, I owe them both a debt of gratitude. 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ...............................................................................................................4 LIST OF TABLES ...........................................................................................................................8 LIST OF FIGURES .........................................................................................................................9 ABSTRACT ...................................................................................................................................10 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................11 2 THEORETICAL BACKGROUND........................................................................................15 African Diaspora Archaeology ...............................................................................................15 Development of the Field ................................................................................................15 Contemporary Practice ....................................................................................................19 Race and Ethnicity ...........................................................................................................22 Ethnogenesis ...........................................................................................................................26 Transformation and Cenogenic Societies ........................................................................28 Resistance ...............................................................................................................................29 An Archaeology of Thought ............................................................................................34 Context for this Paper .............................................................................................................36 Maroon Archaeology .......................................................................................................36 Florida Maroon Archaeology ..........................................................................................39 3 REGIONAL HISTORY ..........................................................................................................45 The First Spanish Period, 1565-1763 .....................................................................................45 Florida as a Borderland ...................................................................................................45 Early Marronage in Florida .............................................................................................46 Florida’s Native People ...................................................................................................47 Seminole Origins and Ethnogenesis ................................................................................49 The British Period, 1763-1783 ...............................................................................................51 Regional Growth .............................................................................................................51 Black Seminole Origins ...................................................................................................52 The Second Spanish Period, 1783-1821 .................................................................................55 Political Intrigue and The First Seminole War ................................................................55 Cosmopolitan East Florida ..............................................................................................58 Urban Slavery and the Task System ................................................................................60 The Territorial Period, 1821-1845 ..........................................................................................62 Changing Race Relations ................................................................................................62 The Second Seminole War ..............................................................................................64 End of the Second Seminole War ....................................................................................65 5 4 METHODOLOGY .................................................................................................................67 Study Sites ..............................................................................................................................67 Peliklikaha .......................................................................................................................67 Bulow Plantation .............................................................................................................69 71 Park Place ...................................................................................................................73 Organization of Analysis ........................................................................................................76 5 ANALYSIS.............................................................................................................................79 Architecture ............................................................................................................................79 Material Evidence ............................................................................................................79 The Plantation Pattern .....................................................................................................84 Cabin Construction ..........................................................................................................92 Subfloor Pits ....................................................................................................................99 Site Location, Visibility, and Defense ...........................................................................104 Ceramics ...............................................................................................................................105 Identification of Ceramic Type .....................................................................................106 Form ..............................................................................................................................121 Origin/Source ................................................................................................................124 Fauna .....................................................................................................................................126 Results ...........................................................................................................................128 Interpretation .................................................................................................................132 Wild Resources ..............................................................................................................133 Agriculture .....................................................................................................................135 Western Bias ..................................................................................................................138 Personal Items .......................................................................................................................139 Buttons ...........................................................................................................................139 Spindle-Whorl and Buckle ............................................................................................143 Military Buttons .............................................................................................................146 Metal Cone ....................................................................................................................149 Beads .............................................................................................................................151 Tobacco .........................................................................................................................156 Firearms and Ammunition .............................................................................................158 Slate Writing Fragments ................................................................................................161 6 RESULTS, DISCUSSION, AND RECOMMENDATIONS ...............................................164 Results...................................................................................................................................164