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Poetry Out Loud

Poetry Out Loud National Recitation Contest is a literature program for high school students in every state in the country. Poetry Out Loud participants master public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about their literary heritage…

Historical Markers

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The Florida Historical Marker Program recognizes significant historic resources, persons and events.

Certified Local Governments

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The Certified Local Government program links federal, state and local government preservation efforts into a preservation partnership for the identification, evaluation and protection of historic properties within a community.

Florida Historical Commission

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The Florida Historical Commission was established by the 2001 Florida Legislature to enhance public participation and involvement in the preservation and protection of the state's historic and archaeological sites and properties. The Commission…

Directives

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Archive of Directives issued by the Secretary of State

Florida Artists Hall of Fame

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The Florida Artists Hall of Fame, the state's highest cultural honor, was established by the Florida Legislature in 1986 to recognize persons, living or deceased, who have made significant contributions to the arts in Florida either as performing…

Territorial Period

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As a territory of the United States, Florida was particularly attractive to people from the older Southern plantation areas of Virginia, the Carolinas, and Georgia, who arrived in considerable numbers.

Civil War and Reconstruction

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During the Civil War, Florida was not ravaged as several other southern states were. Indeed, no decisive battles were fought on Florida soil. While Union forces occupied many coastal towns and forts, the interior of the state remained in…

Florida Development

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During the final quarter of the nineteenth century, large-scale commercial agriculture in Florida, especially cattle-raising, grew in importance.

The Great Depression in Florida

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Florida's economic bubble burst in 1926, when money and credit ran out, and banks and investors abruptly stopped trusting the "paper" millionaires.

World War II and Post-War Boom

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World War II spurred economic development in Florida. Because of its year-round mild climate, the state became a major training center for soldiers, sailors, and aviators of the United States and its allies.

Bibliography

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All titles are available at the State Library of Florida.

Florida's Historic Flags

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Many flags have flown over Florida since European explorers first landed here in the early sixteenth century. Among these have been the flags of five nations: Spain, France, Great Britain, the United States, and the Confederate States of America.…

Manasota Key Offshore

/historical/archaeology/projects/manasota-key-offshore/

Starting in 2016, archaeological investigations located a 7,000-year-old Native American ancestral burial site in the Gulf of Mexico offshore near Venice. The Manasota Key Offshore (MKO) archaeological site is unprecedented. It is located on the…

Research

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Folklife programs are grounded in knowledge about Florida's traditional culture. In order to maintain and expand our information base, the Florida Folklife Program undertakes annual surveys on selected topics to identify and document folklife.