Florida is the 27th state in our country. It played an important role in several wars, including the American Civil War and World War II. Comparing the two, Florida had more of an impact on World War II than the Civil War due to the number of troops trained and enlisted and the supplies and war machines sent to the front lines. The Civil War was also important to Florida, but not as important as World War II. Florida has had quite a turbulent history. Its earliest human inhabitants are believed to be several Native American tribes, including the Panzacola, Chatot, Apalachicola, Apalachee, Timucua, Calusa, and Matecumbe. These tribes occupied land throughout Florida. Then, in the early 16th century, Juan Ponce de Leon, a Spanish explorer, sailed to the peninsula in search of the Fountain of Youth. He never discovered it, but he established a new territory for Spain, naming it Florida, which translates to “Flowering Land” (Christian 21). Even though Juan claimed new lands for Spain, the task of building colonies was very difficult. He and many other Spanish explorers attempted to build towns in Florida, but were unsuccessful, due to harsh weather conditions and fierce fighting by Native Americans for their land. It took the Spanish 52 years to finally establish a permanent colony in Florida. In 1565, Pedro Menedez de Aviles built the town of St. Augustine (Knotts 7). According to Sandra J. Christian's book, Florida, it was "the first permanent European colony in North America." This city survived the others thanks to Pedro's great skill in politics and combat. He agreed to give gold to neighboring Native Americans in exchange for food and supplies. He also had the ability to effectively defend his city against enemies (Knotts 8). Very quickly, wo...... middle of paper ......had a greater impact on World War II than on the Civil War. Florida set up air bases and trained thousands of troops to help fight the Axis powers. More than 250,000 Floridians were drafted into the military during World War II, compared to 16,000 during the Civil War. Additionally, although Florida sent supplies to troops in both wars, Florida contributed more during World War II, as it sent food and clothing to the front lines, as well as shipping ships. war, planes and tanks to use in combat. Comparing the effects of the wars on Florida, both led to an increase in population, but World War II helped Florida emerge from a much greater economic crisis. Although it played a large role in both wars, Florida had a greater impact on World War II due to the manufacturing of war machines and the training and enlistment of a larger number of soldiers that the Confederacy..