Runaway slaves from the British colony of Carolina began seeking freedom in northern Florida from as early as the 1600s. There they found refuge with Native American tribes such as the Yamassee and the newly established Seminoles. They also found sanctuary among the Spanish and the British, who used their numbers and their contested presence to bolster their military campaigns for control of Northern Florida.

Runaway slave hiding in swamp from pursuers. 1863.
Artist Henry Louis Stephens.
Courtesy of Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division.

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