My query is a simple one really, is it possible to have West Florida be made into its own state instead of being divided up and given to Alabama and Mississippi?
It was my impression (no research) that the philosophy when forming the states of the Southeast and of the Old Northwest was to make sure all states had access to major rivers, lakes, and oceans wherever possible. Indiana was once proposed to have its northern border tangential to the southern tip of Lake Michigan - effectively no shoreline! The border was moved north enough to provide a usable shoreline on the lake. Similarly, the use of a "north to south" line dividing what are now Alabama and Mississippi allows each of those states to have a piece of the Gulf coastline rather than a West Florida taking up the coast and an interior state with poor access to the water. The states of Kentucky and Tennessee were built out of lands previously claimed by Virginia and North Carolina, respectively, but these states extended to the Mississippi River and also had good access to the Ohio River and its major tributaries.
V1. West Florida Republic Pulls a Texas. Their expansionist bids had gone as far as Pensacola OTL.
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V2. Florida Panhandle as West Florida
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V2 would probably be a much easier sell, and culturally, the panhandle has always been different from the rest of Florida.
Try V1+V2. Mississippi and Alabama have river access to the Gulf of Mexico. Name the area West Florida or something else. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Florida
Agreed, but access to the Gulf makes it even better!By that logic, the state of Mississippi has access to a major river (the Mississippi).
But if OTL West Florida became a state it would probably be a slave state.
I wouldn't call it a tolerance, rather Americans never existed as a slave majority colony.The French and Spanish in Louisiana and Florida already had slavery in this period. The difference from English/American slavery is a greater tolerance for the mixed race populace.
If West Florida is ceded by the Adams-Onis Treaty, the entire region may be included as a single territory, or the extreme west would be included into the New Orleans region. I doubt any of the negotiators was considering river basins as a coherent whole.
Here are some alternate takes on West Florida. I believe this is how the Brits and Spaniards divided up the region, so why not the Americans too?
Here are some alternate takes on West Florida. I believe this is how the Brits and Spaniards divided up the region, so why not the Americans too?