Florida Under Five Flags, Fifth Edition

&;As virtually the first scholar to penetrate the history of Florida, Patrick&;s work will remain for many years the foundation for all further efforts.&;&;Florida Historical Quarterly

&;Hard to beat. . . . Professor Patrick has bound up a lot of history into a very tidy and readable package.&;&;Saturday Review

&;Undertakes something new in presenting in one volume four hundred years of the history of this state.&;&;Journal of Negro History

Originally published in 1945, this concise volume covering Spanish, French, British, American, and Confederate rule of Florida commemorated the state&;s centennial anniversary. Reissued numerous times, it is not only a seminal text but also one that has remained relevant and in demand over the years.

Distilling five centuries of history, Rembert Patrick chronicles Florida&;s changing identity from European discovery to emerging economic juggernaut. He reveals the political complexities underlying the early white settlements, as the peninsula became a pawn in the global chess game among European powers; he traces the slow growth of Florida as it evolved from frontier territory to antebellum state, then underwent the upheaval of the Civil War and Reconstruction; he shows how the steamboat and the railroad led to greater urbanization, particularly along the coast; and he pointed to the bright future in store for the state in the immediate post-WWII period, thanks to improved roads, air travel, agriculture, tourism, and the military.

Patrick, the first of many giants among Florida historians, created a highly readable account of Florida&;s history whose appeal is as relevant today as when it was first published. This facsimile of that original edition is being released as part of the state-wide celebration of the five hundredth anniversary of the discovery of &;La Florida.&;