The Other States of America: History Podcast

After the settlement, abandonment, resettlement and relocation of Charles Towne, within the unified Province of Carolina, the southern portion of the Province rapidly grew, and through wars and the native slave trade, completely reshaped the human landscape of the South East, the effects of which reverberate over to the Mississippi and down into the Florida peninsula.

The Province of Carolina is a tale of two separate regions settled by very different Englishmen, as such, the subjects in this history of Carolina range from kings and the philosopher John Locke, to indentured servants and the enslaved. Taking place in England, Virginia, Spanish Florida, Barbados, and most certainly what today would be North and South Carolina.The history of Carolina in the period was shaped several times by pirates and runaways, rebellions and wars. All would set the stage for the eventual split of Carolina into North and South.

Spanish Florida is nearly abandoned until clandestine information of the English settlement of Jamestown is spirited away to Spain. The Floridanos were now to hunt down the English, and extend Spanish influence up the coast, to areas where they had previously been violently ejected.

Chief Powhatan and the settlers of Jamestown find themselves in a conflict only Pocahontas can end. The peace that follows however, will create greater challenges for the Powhatan that are only realized in hindsight. The Peace of Pocahontas will not hold for long.

In the land of Tsenacomoco, a young man named Wahunsenacawh inherits six chiefdoms, he and his brothers will go on to create the Powhatan Paramount Chiefdom, consisting of 30 or more villages, each with its own traditions and folk-ways.

The full story of Roanoke begins years before the foundation of the infamously “lost” colony of Roanoke, and involves the takeover of Newfoundland and Privateers in the Caribbean. This episode is the story of the first colony of Roanoke, the colony that set into motion many of the factors that led to the disappearance of the next colony, making it very clear where the lost colonists could seek safe haven in times of distress…

In 1567 Pedro Menéndez de Avilés left Florida for Spain, having planted Spaniards at twelve or so sites from the Miami area to modern day Tennessee. The hero of our last two episodes, his attention will be divided from this point on, as Spanish Florida endures the return of the French and the rath of Chief Carlos, Chief Felipe, Chief Saturiwa and the cunning Paquiquineo.

French Hugeonots have made a secret colony in the land the Spanish call Florida and claim as their own. The King of Spain calls upon Admiral Pedro Menéndez de Avilés to oust the French and finally create a Spanish settlement in Florida, a feat many have tried and most have died undertaking, all ending in massive failure. Menendez will now have to quickly raise a fleet, gather colonists and race the French Fleet, led by rival Jean Ribault, to Florida. Menendez will carry out a Holy War in the New World, the effects of which reverberate outward to us today.

Hernando De Soto came to so-called Spanish Florida on orders to plant settlements and build fortifications along the coast. Instead he chased rumors of golden empires into the interior of North America, all for nothing. In late 1540, De Soto had the option to travel to Pensacola, where his boats awaited, but decided to set out in the direction of the setting sun in search of possibilities…

Hernando de Soto returns to Spain as one of the richest men in the Empire, from his share of the spoils toppling the Incan Empire. Now he seeks to sail to the New World once more to conquer the Natives of the land the Spanish call Florida convinced the venture will make him the richest man in the world.

A judge named Lucas Vázquez de Ayllón meets a man from the land of Chicora who fills his head with tales of gold, pearls, domesticated deer and men with tails who only eat raw fish. De Ayllón brings the man to the King of Spain, and according to the historian Peter Martyr captivates the attention of the restless masses, 600 of whom will go with de Ayllón to the American South East. Suggested Reading (full works cited will be presented in the season 4 endnotes episode) Peter Martyr “Decades of the New World” A SPANISH SETTLEMENT IN CAROLINA, 1526.By J. G. Johnson, M. A. Lucas Vásquez de Ayllón's Doomed Colonyof San Miguel de GualdapeBy Douglas T. Peck

Before the Age of Exploration the Mississippian Chiefdoms in North America vied for influence, cultivated vast stretches of land, created Hierarchies and elevated their leaders to sem-divine figures honored with massive earthen mounds. The Chiefdoms of Etowah and Coosa in modern day North-Western Georgia, had influence and reputation from the gulf of Mexico to the Great Lakes, and are a source of pride for the Muskogean peoples today. Image Sources: Maps and Artwork: The Superb Herb Roe, Creative Commons. Images: Georgia Department of Natural Resources https://gastateparks.org/etowahindianmounds

The Vice Presidency of John Tyler. Our Vices is the post-season show of The Other States of America: History Podcast.