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| The '''Dominion of British West Florida''' is a ] founded in 2005 and based in western Florida, in the ]. | The '''Dominion of British West Florida''' is a ] founded in 2005 and based in western Florida, in the ]. | ||
| It claims the territory of the |
It claims the territory of the actual 18th century British colony of ], and its putative successor, the ], which existed for 72 days in 1810. The territories which previously comprised the historic "British West Florida" are today administered by the states of ], ], ], and ].<ref>{{cite book |title=Micronations |last=Ryan |first=John |coauthors=Dunford, George; Sellars, Simon |year=2006 |publisher=Lonely Planet |isbn=1741047307 |pages=p. 139 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=5ZRrwrlIPSYC&pg=PA139&dq=%22Dominion+of+British+West+Florida%22&num=100&sig=YhBcJM7aMT3_lGOnBxpfyobMMOs }}</ref> | ||
| The Dominion of British West Florida claims to be a legitimate refoundation of both the colony and the rebublic, but in reality it does not exercise any authority over the territory of those entitites, and its activities are largely limited to the ]. | |||
| ==History== | ==History== | ||
| I found a new one! It is the Dominion of West Florida. It claims to represent the people of the Republic of West Florida which existed briefly for 72 days in 1810. | |||
| Here is a brief summary of their legal claim courtesy of Misplaced Pages: | |||
| 1) The Treaty of Versailles of 1783 granted the Territory of Florida (The British colonies of East and West Florida) to the Spanish King, who was deposed by Napoleon, leaving no rightful successor to claim the territory. | |||
| 2) The Treaty of Transfer of Florida to France signed by the Spanish prohibited Third party transfer of the Territory and the territory claimed by the Dominion of British West Florida was not included in the transfer. | |||
| 3) The annexation of West Florida by Presidential Proclamation, without the usual and required Congressional and Territory actions, was invalid under the United States Constitution, and international law. | |||
| Part 3 there is the interesting one. This is similar to claims by Texan and Hawaiian nationalists that their "nations" were acquired illegally by a joint resolution of the US Congress and Congress does not have the power to annex territory in that manner. Hence, the annexation is invalid under American and international law. Or so they theorize... | |||
| The United States sent the army down to secure West Florida for the United States. The government of the Republic of West Florida gave up under protest. Their partisans now claim that this constituted an invasion of the Republic of West Florida and was an act of war. The American presence in West Florida to this day then constitutes an illegal military occupation! The claim is then that the American government as represented in West Florida is de facto but not de jure. | |||
| Alas for these West Florida nationalists, the international community has recognized American sovereignty over West Florida since 1810 or shortly thereafter. As international recognition is the basis for determining sovereignty, there is nothing more to debate. I guess if a valid currently recognized sovereign nation wanted to grant the West Floridians recognition this could be reopened but I kind of doubt it. | |||
| ] | ] | ||
Revision as of 07:36, 26 July 2008
| Dominion of British West Florida | |
|---|---|
| Motto: Dieu et mon Droit | |
| Status | Current |
| Capital | Pensacola |
| Membership | N/A |
The Dominion of British West Florida is a micronation founded in 2005 and based in western Florida, in the United States.
It claims the territory of the actual 18th century British colony of British West Florida, and its putative successor, the Republic of West Florida, which existed for 72 days in 1810. The territories which previously comprised the historic "British West Florida" are today administered by the states of Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi.
The Dominion of British West Florida claims to be a legitimate refoundation of both the colony and the rebublic, but in reality it does not exercise any authority over the territory of those entitites, and its activities are largely limited to the internet.
History
I found a new one! It is the Dominion of West Florida. It claims to represent the people of the Republic of West Florida which existed briefly for 72 days in 1810.
Here is a brief summary of their legal claim courtesy of Misplaced Pages:
1) The Treaty of Versailles of 1783 granted the Territory of Florida (The British colonies of East and West Florida) to the Spanish King, who was deposed by Napoleon, leaving no rightful successor to claim the territory.
2) The Treaty of Transfer of Florida to France signed by the Spanish prohibited Third party transfer of the Territory and the territory claimed by the Dominion of British West Florida was not included in the transfer.
3) The annexation of West Florida by Presidential Proclamation, without the usual and required Congressional and Territory actions, was invalid under the United States Constitution, and international law.
Part 3 there is the interesting one. This is similar to claims by Texan and Hawaiian nationalists that their "nations" were acquired illegally by a joint resolution of the US Congress and Congress does not have the power to annex territory in that manner. Hence, the annexation is invalid under American and international law. Or so they theorize...
The United States sent the army down to secure West Florida for the United States. The government of the Republic of West Florida gave up under protest. Their partisans now claim that this constituted an invasion of the Republic of West Florida and was an act of war. The American presence in West Florida to this day then constitutes an illegal military occupation! The claim is then that the American government as represented in West Florida is de facto but not de jure.
Alas for these West Florida nationalists, the international community has recognized American sovereignty over West Florida since 1810 or shortly thereafter. As international recognition is the basis for determining sovereignty, there is nothing more to debate. I guess if a valid currently recognized sovereign nation wanted to grant the West Floridians recognition this could be reopened but I kind of doubt it.
In 1630, Charles I granted the part of America "from Virginia to Florida and westward to the Great Ocean" to some of his followers. From 1682 to 1763, the area was part of the the French colony of Louisiana. In 1763, as part of the Treaty of Paris, the British gained control of the area. In 1776, the United States claimed their independence from England, which included the area. In 1781, Spain entered the Revolutionary War, and captured Pensacola, and in 1783, control of the region was the ceded to from Britain to Spain. In 1808, Charles IV of Spain was removed from power, and historians believe the sovereignty over Florida reverted back to England.
In 1810, British loyalists rebelled against the Spanish occupation, and declared themselves the Independent Republic of West Florida, and this nation existed for 74 days (September 23, 1810 - December 10, 1810). In 1813, the United States annexed the region. Some local historians claim the U.S. ownership of the region is illegitimate, with claims that the Treaty of Paris is not valid. Hence the U.S. could not have legally annexed the region from the Spanish.
The micronation of British West Florida was created when the "Acting Governor-General" - who is identified on the micronation's website only as "Robert, Duke of Florida" - reasserted Britain's claims on the region, in November 2005.
Since its reassertion in 2005, British West Florida has issued cinderella stamps and minted several base metal coins, denominated in pounds, shillings and pence.
References
- Ryan, John (2006). Micronations. Lonely Planet. pp. p. 139. ISBN 1741047307.
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