Fort Mose — the first free Black town

Spanish Florida charters Gracia Real de Santa Teresa de Mose, the first free Black settlement in what is now the U.S., for people who escaped Carolina slavery.

Free Black Communities

Resources

Books·1

Book

Black Society in Spanish Florida

Jane Landers

The pioneering study of Spanish Florida as a sanctuary, including Fort Mose.

Documentaries·1

Documentary

Fort Mose — America's First Free Black Community

PBS / Florida Frontiers

The founding and significance of the first free Black town in the U.S.

Websites·1

Website

Fort Mose, Florida (1738–1820)

BlackPast

The first legally sanctioned free Black town in the present-day U.S.

The web

Connections to other moments, systems, and investigations — the links rarely drawn together.

inspired·Event
The Stono Rebellion
Spain's promise of freedom at Fort Mose drew the Stono rebels south toward Florida.
responded to (incoming)·Person
Jemmy (Cato)
Jemmy's rebels marched toward the freedom Spain promised at Fort Mose.

Where to go next

inspired

The Stono Rebellion

Spain's promise of freedom at Fort Mose drew the Stono rebels south toward Florida.

responded to

Jemmy (Cato)

Jemmy's rebels marched toward the freedom Spain promised at Fort Mose.