Event Details

Remembering the Manatee River Maroons of 1821

Time: 1:00 pm til 2:00 pm

Location: Manatee County Central Library, 1301 Barcarrota Blvd West, Bradenton, FL 34205

Description: New virtual reconstructions help us better understand the early 19th century maroon communities on Florida’s Gulf Coast. This event will highlight the archaeological insights into the history for these communities on the Manatee River, known as Angola, as well as the community’s predecessor on the Apalachicola River, known as the Negro Fort. The history of anti-slavery resistance in Florida includes an incredible story of freedom-seeking people. From the Apalachicola River to Tampa Bay, people of African heritage battled for their freedom, sought refuge, and fell back in a southern movement that ultimately led some to Andros Island in the British Bahamas and the others to the Florida interior, where they and their descendants fought in the Second Seminole War. 2016 brings the bicentennial of the destruction of the Negro Fort on the Apalachicola River in 1816; that was followed by the Battle of Suwannee in 1818 and then the destruction of Angola and the other maroon communities south of Tampa Bay in 1821. Join Professor Uzi Baram, Dr. Ed Gonzalez-Tennant, and Vickie Oldham in a discussion of the continuing legacy and significance of these people.

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FPAN is attending this event.