WI/AHC: The Colony of West Florida joins the American Revolution?

In OTL, West Florida was incited to join the First Continental Congress. The colony declined. During the Revolution, Spain ended up seizing Pensacola, the capital, and acquiring West Florida as a result.

But, how about if some of the West Floridian colonists decided to attend the First Continental Congress, thereby having West Florida represented and joining the Patriot cause in the Revolution? I don’t see the entire colony joining but it could lead to Patriot attempts to seize Pensacola, Mobile, Biloxi and Baton Rouge.

I’d imagine that their presence in the Continental Congress would mean that even if Spain captured the cities, West Florida would become one of the original American states while Spain retains East Florida.

What impact would this have on the Revolution and on the early development of West Florida and the United State?

These were the boundaries of West Florida as a colony.

West_Florida_Map_1767.jpg
 
Congress will have to get Georgia and West Florida to work out a border, as Georgia claims much of the northern part of this new 14th state. If Georgia gives in to West Florida, then the northern portions of Mississippi and Alabama may stay with Georgia IF this happens before the Yazoo land debacle; but if after this swindle then Georgia may still give up their western territory to the US for the formation of a new state. Jefferson's proposal may come true in this one instance, with 14 labeled on the map being our ATL West Florida
map1.jpg
 
West Florida was little more than a military garrison. Why would British troops, their families and the small group of merchants selling goods to them support the revolution?
 
West Florida was little more than a military garrison. Why would British troops, their families and the small group of merchants selling goods to them support the revolution?

I’d say if this guy had remained Governor it might have helped since he had Colonial sympathies

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Johnstone_(Royal_Navy_officer)

Also a number of West Floridians were angry that the British government wouldn’t create a “Colony of Mississippi” in the area above West Florida which they wanted to invest in
 
Congress will have to get Georgia and West Florida to work out a border, as Georgia claims much of the northern part of this new 14th state. If Georgia gives in to West Florida, then the northern portions of Mississippi and Alabama may stay with Georgia IF this happens before the Yazoo land debacle; but if after this swindle then Georgia may still give up their western territory to the US for the formation of a new state. Jefferson's proposal may come true in this one instance, with 14 labeled on the map being our ATL West Florida
map1.jpg

How feasible is it for Georgia to retain the northern 3/5 of Mississippi and Alabama, do you think?
 
How feasible is it for Georgia to retain the northern 3/5 of Mississippi and Alabama, do you think?
That's a good question, theoretically Virginia, North Carolina, and Georgia were all each to keep Kentucky, Tennessee, and Alabama/Mississippi. For reasons of fear that Kentucky and Tennessee would join the Spanish if not given statehoods, Virginia and NC gave their legislative OK to these states. The US Constitution is clear that states can't be divided without the parent state's agreement. Georgia was more of a hold out and stubborn until the Yazoo speculative land bubble and scandal that caused the state to turn to the Federal govt and negotiate the Compact of 1802 (US paid a little more than $1 million for Alabama and Mississippi, took on responsibility for the land title disputes and court cases, and eliminated all Native American claims in what remained of Georgia). So, I think it depends on whether the Georgia govt in this ATL is as corrupt in selling western lands. If not... then there's little reason to expect Georgia to agree with the secession of lands that will have $20 million worth of gold mined in the 1820s to 1840s. The only thing I can think of is a Maine like situation, where to create a new slave state to keep the balance, IOTL it the 13 original states was 7 free to 6 slave (I'm retroactively putting states where slavery was still in effect but on the way out, like NY); assuming West Florida a slave state that puts 7 to 7. OTL admission of states keeps things even more "even" then. Alternating and pairing slave with free states was the way it went in OTL; at the time of OTL Mississippi it is 10 to 9 in favor of free states. IOTL Illinois is balanced by Mississippi, Alabama then makes everything even 12 to 12; then Missouri has to wait to be balanced by Maine, and we continue with balancing (Michigan for Arkansas) and then Florida and Texas come in followed by Iowa and Wisconsin to bring the balance back.

After all that historical detour above... we have the problem that Georgia will be under immense pressure to give up their trans-Appalachian lands to keep the balance; and since a true balance occurs from the start at 7 to 7, we may still see *Mississippi come in on schedule to balance Illinois, or a delay in Illinois statehood while negotiations and pressure is put on Georgia. Illinois IOTL came in 1818, not too long after that gold will be discovered in Alabama as part of an extension of the Georgia Gold Belt and so once that occurs it could hamper negotiations. So, I don't know what all this info and speculation comes to other than yes, Georgia can indefinitely block *Mississippi unless the counties in the *Mississippi area get enough of their own votes in the Georgia legislature to force the issue.
 
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I'm a little confused. You state (correctly) that the 13 colonies were divided 7 slave to 6 free states. How does adding another slave state even things to 7 & 7 wouldn't it be 8 to 6?

Thank you,
MrBill
 
I'm a little confused. You state (correctly) that the 13 colonies were divided 7 slave to 6 free states. How does adding another slave state even things to 7 & 7 wouldn't it be 8 to 6?

Thank you,
MrBill
No, I'm sorry, it is 7 free and 6 slave. Free- MA, NH, RI, CT, NY, PA, NJ. Slave- DE, MD, VA, NC, SC, GA.
 
Yhah - you are correct. Too early and before my first cup of coffee. Don't know what I was thinking.

Thank You,
MrBill
 
That's a good question, theoretically Virginia, North Carolina, and Georgia were all each to keep Kentucky, Tennessee, and Alabama/Mississippi. For reasons of fear that Kentucky and Tennessee would join the Spanish if not given statehoods, Virginia and NC gave their legislative OK to these states. The US Constitution is clear that states can't be divided without the parent state's agreement. Georgia was more of a hold out and stubborn until the Yazoo speculative land bubble and scandal that caused the state to turn to the Federal govt and negotiate the Compact of 1802 (US paid a little more than $1 million for Alabama and Mississippi, took on responsibility for the land title disputes and court cases, and eliminated all Native American claims in what remained of Georgia). So, I think it depends on whether the Georgia govt in this ATL is as corrupt in selling western lands. If not... then there's little reason to expect Georgia to agree with the secession of lands that will have $20 million worth of gold mined in the 1820s to 1840s. The only thing I can think of is a Maine like situation, where to create a new slave state to keep the balance, IOTL it the 13 original states was 7 free to 6 slave (I'm retroactively putting states where slavery was still in effect but on the way out, like NY); assuming West Florida a slave state that puts 7 to 7. OTL admission of states keeps things even more "even" then. Alternating and pairing slave with free states was the way it went in OTL; at the time of OTL Mississippi it is 10 to 9 in favor of free states. IOTL Illinois is balanced by Mississippi, Alabama then makes everything even 12 to 12; then Missouri has to wait to be balanced by Maine, and we continue with balancing (Michigan for Arkansas) and then Florida and Texas come in followed by Iowa and Wisconsin to bring the balance back.

After all that historical detour above... we have the problem that Georgia will be under immense pressure to give up their trans-Appalachian lands to keep the balance; and since a true balance occurs from the start at 7 to 7, we may still see *Mississippi come in on schedule to balance Illinois, or a delay in Illinois statehood while negotiations and pressure is put on Georgia. Illinois IOTL came in 1818, not too long after that gold will be discovered in Alabama as part of an extension of the Georgia Gold Belt and so once that occurs it could hamper negotiations. So, I don't know what all this info and speculation comes to other than yes, Georgia can indefinitely block *Mississippi unless the counties in the *Mississippi area get enough of their own votes in the Georgia legislature to force the issue.

Would Mississippi and Alabama be separate states in a world where West Florida has the bottom 2/5 of each OTL state or do we just see one State of Mississippi/Alabama/Yazoo/Washington/whathaveyou
 
Would Mississippi and Alabama be separate states in a world where West Florida has the bottom 2/5 of each OTL state or do we just see one State of Mississippi/Alabama/Yazoo/Washington/whathaveyou
I would imagine based on land size that we would see one Mississippi/Alabama/Yazoo/Washington/whathaveyou (a perfect name for a state btw). In the map below the "Mississippi Territory 1798" conforms to what would be a part of the West Florida state along with the Gulf Coast parts of Louisiana (minus New Orleans of course), Mississippi, Alabama, and the western portion of OTL state of Florida. One could imagine though that the "Assigned to Georgia 1802" portion could be used to create two states side by side in the remainder, instead of being given to Georgia, though as I mentioned above Georgia would have to agree to this, and this would be unlikely as it was in OTL getting this land from the Native Americans was a crucial reason Georgia agreed to the Compact of 1802. Added bonus is that Jefferson's 1784 proposal, well... proposes just this arrangement.
Yazoo-Georgia_Controversy.png
 
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