Amidst calls to censure Andrew Jackson over his invasion of Florida, President appoints him as the first governor. While Jackson establishes martial law over the territory, Congress fears that Florida will be entered into the Union as two slave-holding states. Monroe tells Congress there will be one territory with one governor, but two secretaries. No lack of drama in 1821.
On March 10, 1821 President Monroe appointed General Andrew Jackson Commissioner of the United States to take possession of Florida and gave him the full powers of governor. Jackson's tenure as governor lasted only about 9 months. Jackson accepted the office with the stipulation that he could resign as soon as the territory was organized. In November of 1821, Jackson did just that. The appointment of Jackson to Governor was not without controversy. In the first Seminole war, Jackson's invasion of Florida then territory belonging to Spain, had created an international incident leading to some in the Monroe administration to call for Jackson to be censured. Both Monroe and his Secretary of State, John Quincy Adams defended his actions. In fact, Adams used Jackson's invasion and conquest as proof that Spain had lost control of their own territory. One can only imagine, that this appointment served not only as a reward to Jackson, but a repudiation of both Spain and those who called for his censure. Yet, the real reason may simply be that Jackson already knew the region and had the confidence of the Americans looking to settle there.
The transition from Spanish rule to American rule under Jackson was not a smooth transition. In West Florida, American visitors cheered as Jackson entered the Government House in Pensacola, while the Spanish population feared that their homes and businesses would be sold below market value by unruly settlers who had little money. In East Florida, the Mayor of St. Augustine refused to Cooperate with Jackson, and the Spanish Governor Colonel Don Jose Callava was thrown in jail for refusing to turn over papers. Many Spaniards stripped their homes of anything useful and burned them down to the foundations before leaving the territory.
Because of the size of the land, and the dichotomy of the population centered around Pensacola in the West and St. Augustine in the East, many in Congress feared that Florida would be divided into two slave-holding states, disrupting the balance between free and slave states. With the Missouri compromise of 1820 fresh on the minds of Congress, Monroe wrote in his 1821 State of the Union Address that the provinces of East and West Florida were formed into one territory with one governor under a martial law. To handle the disparate populations, two secretaries would be appointed. One to reside at Pensacola and the other at St. Augustine. With one governor, two secretaries, I'm not sure if that put the minds of Congress at ease, or further raised their fears.
"In every other circumstance of the law of the 3rd of March last, for carrying into effect that treaty, has been duly attended to. For the execution of that part which preserved in force, for the Government of the inhabitants for the term specified, all the civil, military, and judicial powers exercised by the existing Government of those Provinces an adequate # of officers, as was presumed, were appointed, and ordered to their respective stations. Both Provinces were formed into 1 Territory, and a governor appointed for it; but in consideration of the pre-existing division and of the distance and difficulty of communication between Pensacola, the residence of the governor of West Florida, and St. Augustine, that of the governor of East Florida, at which places the inconsiderable population of each Province was principally collected, two secretaries were appointed, the one to reside at Pensacola and the other at St. Augustine."The following year, the U.S. Congress established the Legislative Council of the Territory of Florida which established a governor, secretary, thirteen-member Legislative Council, and judiciary, all of whom were appointed by the U.S. president. Rather than two secretaries, the council determined to rotate between the capitals of Pensacola and St. Augustine. In those days, it took 59 days to travel between the capitals by sea, and 28 days over land. Eventually, the council decided that future meetings would be held at a point about half-way between the two cities in what is today Tallahassee. Finally on March 3, 1845, Florida entered the union as one slave-holding state.
http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=29463
http://dos.myflorida.com/florida-facts/florida-history/florida-governors/andrew-jackson/
https://floridairishheritagecenter.wordpress.com/2010/05/02/floridas-first-governor-andrew-jackson/
http://floridahistory.org/territorial.htm
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/74/Charles_Willson_Peale_-_portrait_of_Andrew_Jackson%2C_1819.jpg
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legislative_Council_of_the_Territory_of_Florida
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