Black militia of Fort Mose
E478874
The Black militia of Fort Mose was a free Black military unit in Spanish Florida composed largely of formerly enslaved Africans who defended the first legally sanctioned free Black settlement in what is now the United States.
Statements (45)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
Black militia
ⓘ
colonial-era military organization ⓘ military unit ⓘ |
| allegiance |
Crown of Spain
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Spanish Empire NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| associatedWith |
Gracia Real de Santa Teresa de Mose (Fort Mose)
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
St. Augustine, Florida NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| basedIn | Gracia Real de Santa Teresa de Mose NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| composedOf |
formerly enslaved Africans
ⓘ
free Black soldiers ⓘ |
| conditionOfFreedom |
conversion to Catholicism
ⓘ
military service for the Spanish Crown ⓘ |
| conflict | War of Jenkins’ Ear NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| country | Spanish Florida NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| ethnicGroup | Africans ⓘ |
| foughtAgainst |
British forces from the Province of Carolina
ⓘ
forces led by James Oglethorpe ⓘ |
| function |
frontier buffer against British expansion
ⓘ
local defense ⓘ |
| garrison | Fort Mose NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| grantedBy | Spanish royal authorities in Florida ⓘ |
| historicalContext | Spanish policy of offering asylum to escaped slaves from British colonies ⓘ |
| legacy | early example of organized Black armed resistance to slavery in North America ⓘ |
| legalStatus | free persons under Spanish law ⓘ |
| location |
Fort Mose
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
near St. Augustine, Florida ⓘ |
| notableEvent | Battle of Fort Mose (1740) NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| opposedTo | British colonial forces in North America NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| partOf | Spanish colonial military forces in Florida ⓘ |
| presentIn | 18th-century Spanish Florida frontier system ⓘ |
| primaryLanguage | Spanish ⓘ |
| protects |
Fort Mose settlement
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
first legally sanctioned free Black settlement in what is now the United States ⓘ |
| recruitedFrom |
enslaved Africans who escaped from the Province of Carolina
ⓘ
runaway slaves from British colonies ⓘ |
| region | Southeastern North America ⓘ |
| religion | Roman Catholicism ⓘ |
| role |
border defense against British colonies
ⓘ
defense of Spanish Florida’s northern frontier ⓘ |
| significance |
defended the first legally sanctioned free Black town in what is now the United States
ⓘ
one of the earliest free Black militias in North America ⓘ |
| socialRole |
community protection for Fort Mose residents
ⓘ
symbol of Black autonomy under Spanish rule ⓘ |
| timePeriod |
Spanish colonial era in Florida
ⓘ
early 18th century ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.