The Maroons Of Prospect Bluff And Their Quest For Freedom In The Atlantic World (contested Boundaries)
by Nathaniel Millett /
2013 / English / PDF
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This is the story of the so-called "Negro Fort"; the largest maroon
community ever to emerge in North America. During the War of 1812,
Edward Nicolls of the Royal Marines erected a fort at Prospect
Bluff in the Florida panhandle, arming ex-slaves, Red Sticks, and
Seminoles to fight alongside the British. Fervently opposed to
slavery, Nicolls galvanised the Prospect Bluff allies with his
radical anti-slavery ideology and the promise of freedom, asserting
their rights and privileges equal to those of any British subject.
At war's end, Nicolls remained at Prospect Bluff, petitioning
American officials to respect the territorial sovereignty of his
Indian allies. When diplomacy failed, Nicolls left the fort to his
black army of radicalised British subjects and encouraged it to
defend the enclave against all threats. What developed was a
well-organised community that regarded itself as an independent
British polity. Nathaniel Millett examines how the Prospect Bluff
maroons constructed their freedom, shedding light on the extent to
which they could fight physically and intellectually to claim their
rights. Millett considers the legacy of the Haitian Revolution, the
growing influence of abolitionism, and the period's changing
interpretations of race, freedom, and citizenship among whites,
blacks, and Native Americans.
This is the story of the so-called "Negro Fort"; the largest maroon
community ever to emerge in North America. During the War of 1812,
Edward Nicolls of the Royal Marines erected a fort at Prospect
Bluff in the Florida panhandle, arming ex-slaves, Red Sticks, and
Seminoles to fight alongside the British. Fervently opposed to
slavery, Nicolls galvanised the Prospect Bluff allies with his
radical anti-slavery ideology and the promise of freedom, asserting
their rights and privileges equal to those of any British subject.
At war's end, Nicolls remained at Prospect Bluff, petitioning
American officials to respect the territorial sovereignty of his
Indian allies. When diplomacy failed, Nicolls left the fort to his
black army of radicalised British subjects and encouraged it to
defend the enclave against all threats. What developed was a
well-organised community that regarded itself as an independent
British polity. Nathaniel Millett examines how the Prospect Bluff
maroons constructed their freedom, shedding light on the extent to
which they could fight physically and intellectually to claim their
rights. Millett considers the legacy of the Haitian Revolution, the
growing influence of abolitionism, and the period's changing
interpretations of race, freedom, and citizenship among whites,
blacks, and Native Americans.