British Gen. Augustine Prévost landed in St. Augustine in September 1776 with reinforcements for the 60th regiment, which he commanded throughout the Revolutionary war. He was the ranking British officer in the south. His regiment, divided between St. Augustine and Pensacola, used Indian allies to maintain the Pax Britanica throughout the Floridas.

From the battle for Elian to the debate over the butterfly ballot, Florida is America's soap opera of transitory strife. Even our governor is a transient who has set up shop here to reap personal gain. If you're wondering how Florida became such a place, perhaps you may be surprised to learn of Florida's fugitive history.

The land we now call Florida has always been engaged in a war of cultures. As the Old World powers of Spain, France and Britain battled for dominance of North America, Florida became a bargaining chip. Conquest of Florida's rich agricultural and naval resources was as intense as Bush vs. Gore and as emotional the saga of Elian.

As we celebrate America's independence today, Florida's strange history as a British colony may shed some light on our multiple personality problem. Many Floridians aren't even aware that Florida was a British colony in 1776, and perhaps even fewer know that when the Declaration of Independence was ratified, the people of Florida were not at all happy about it.

East and West Florida had been British colonies for only 13 years, not enough time to breed the political discontent felt in other colonies. Spain had ruled Florida for almost 200 years, yet had done little more than build forts, such as Fort San Luis just off of West Tennessee Street at Ocala Road.

The British, on the other hand, had grand plans to institute a plantation-based economy that would yield sugar cane, indigo, oranges and cotton.

Upon acquiring the vast land area known as Florida in 1763, the first thing the British did was divide the area into East and West Florida. The two colonies were to be separated by the Apalachicola River with West Florida stretching all the way to the Mississippi River.

Britain quickly organized the Episcopal Church as the state religion of Florida and granted land to English noblemen and successful officers of the French and Indian War, which won Florida for Britain. These men had just enough time to import African slaves and set up vast plantations by the time the Declaration of Independence was written.

Even if these men had agreed with the republican sensibilities of the gathering in Philadelphia, the economy of Florida was still totally dependant upon English trade.

It's important to remember that the colonies that declared independence from Britain in 1776 represented only half of British America, which stretched from Quebec to the West Indies. It was Barbados, not Boston, that first enunciated the principle of "no taxation without representation" in 1651. Like Canada, Bermuda and the Caribbean Islands, Florida remained loyal to Britain.

It may be difficult for us to realize the mind-set of British Florida in 1776, but it seems pretty clear that its heart did not swell with admiration upon reading Thomas Jefferson's petulant letter to King George III.

When news came of the Declaration, an angry mob gathered in St. Augustine's public square to announce its displeasure with treasonous colonies. They burned the likenesses of John Adams and John Hancock in effigy.

In Pensacola, the governor of West Florida called out the militia to join royal troops in resisting what he called the "perfidious insurrection" of neighboring colonies.

British loyalists from Savannah, Ga., and Charleston, S.C., poured into Florida, which became a staging ground for the British royal army. Numerous patriots were brought to St. Augustine as prisoners, including three signers of the Declaration of Independence.

In 1778, the colony of West Florida issued a proclamation declaring, "We hold in abhorrence the present unnatural and unparalleled rebellion, raging in our neighboring colonies, with its leaders and abettors."

As the Revolutionary War dragged on, Florida became problematic for the King George III. In 1781, Spain entered the war and soon captured Pensacola. By the end of the war, Britain would give all of Florida back to Spain.

British loyalists who flocked to Florida during the Revolution were then forced to leave and the Spanish inherited large plantations that the British had worked so hard to cultivate. Following the English plantation model, the Spanish imported slaves to produce indigo, sugar, oranges and cotton.

On this Fourth of July, as we remember the sublime grandeur and historic significance of the Declaration of Independence, let us also remember the people of Florida and their stubborn loyalty to the British crown.

Contact Mike Pope at mpope@taldem.com or 599-2173.