WI: The US State of West Florida

[GameBawesome]

In the 1810s, there was once very short-lived republic, called the Republic of West Florida. It didn't last long. They tried to capture some towns from Spain, but failed, and eventually became part of the Mississippi territory.

But what if, instead, the Republic of West Florida was more successful, and managed to capture more land, importantly Mobile. Then the petition to become a state in the Union, and becomes the state of West Florida.

So what now?

How would the admission of West Florida effect the creation of Mississippi and Alabama?
How would it effect the balance of slave states, and free states? If so, what compromise could happen?
What would West Florida culture be like?
Later on, would the State join the Confederacy?

 

[Jackson Heath]

Wasn't the whole problem that there was little population in the whole area? Except for natives, malaria and alligators?

 

[DanMcCollum]

Wasn't the whole problem that there was little population in the whole area? Except for natives, malaria and alligators?

West Florida would have been one of the more heavily settled parts of that region, actually. It was the site of efforts by both the French and Spanish to set up trading posts. There were also English settlers (a few!) because the British government tried to offer land to soldiers there.

Was it underpopulated in relation to other areas? Sure. But the presence of Mobile and ports made it pretty strategically valuable.

 

[Jackson Heath]

How far west did it go? Mobile would be important, yes. Did it go into the Mississippi coast, like to Gulfport and Biloxi? What might have been interesting is New Orleans and the immediate Louisiana territory develops. It certainly gives that area importance for ports. Maybe, the Spanish fight harder to stay relevant in the area.

 

[SwampTiger]

The Florida parishes of Louisiana eastward from the Mississippi River north of Lakes Maurepas and Pontchartrain were included.

 

[Don Corleone]

They might not make two states in OTL Mississippi and Alabsma, since the western state is now landlocked. OTL Florida doesn't come as far west because they want to give Gulf access to *Mississippi. (Basing this on OTL where they have Biloxi to Mississippi and Mobile to Alabama.)

 

[vuun]

No reason this West Florida couldn't be a state, but it'll affect how neighboring state lines are drawn.

-Louisiana might be given a border farther north into OTL Arkansas to compensate for the lost land.
-OTL Mississippi/Alabama: One possibility is the inland southern parts of these states just becoming part of West Florida, and the northern halves of these states then become one state. If they are split similar to OTL, Alabama probably gets the Pensacola area for a port, or maybe even the whole OTL Florida panhandle. Mississippi would be landlocked, but the state's main ports OTL were along the Mississippi River anyway.
-If Louisiana extends farther north, Arkansas might not exist (a possibility is Missouri and Louisiana bordering each other along the Arkansas River). Alternatively, there's a chain reaction with Arkansas and Missouri having borders drawn farther north than OTL, which would end up with the Missouri Compromise situation being worse than OTL, with there likely already being an extra slave state compared to OTL.