January 1738

In 1738 the Spanish colonial governor of Florida officially established Fort Mose (Gracia Real de Santa Teresa de Mose) near St. Augustine as a settlement for escaped slaves from English colonies, making it the first legally sanctioned free Black settlement in what is now the United States. Its residents, led by Francisco Menéndez — himself a formerly enslaved Mandinka man — formed a militia and defended the settlement against British attack in 1740. Fort Mose represented a powerful statement about the possibility of Black freedom and self-governance in colonial North America.

Francisco Menéndez, a Mandinka-born man who had been enslaved in South Carolina before escaping to Spanish Florida, was appointed captain of the Fort Mose militia in 1738 — commanding the first legally recognized free Black military unit in North American history. He led his unit in repelling a British attack at the Battle of Fort Mose in 1740, and continued to serve as a military leader and privateer. His life documents extraordinary agency and leadership under extraordinary circumstances.

Spanish authorities establish Fort Mose near St. Augustine, Florida, as a free Black community for people escaped from British colonies. Under Francisco Menendez's leadership, its residents defend Spanish Florida, making Fort Mose the first legally sanctioned free Black settlement in what is now the United States.

Spanish colonial authorities establish Fort Mose (Gracia Real de Santa Teresa de Mose) near St. Augustine, Florida, as a free Black community for formerly enslaved people who escaped British colonies. Under the leadership of Francisco Menéndez, the fort's residents defend Spanish Florida, making Fort Mose the first legally sanctioned free Black settlement in what is now the United States.

Francisco Menéndez, formerly enslaved in Carolina and freed by the Spanish, is appointed captain of the Fort Mose free Black militia. He successfully defends Fort Mose during the British siege of 1740, helping repel Governor Oglethorpe's invasion of Florida. His military service earns him land, freedom papers, and a salary — extraordinary standing for any 18th-century Black man in the Americas.