History Question: What is the oldest permanent colonial settlement in the US?

[Nephew Twiddleton]

I don't think I knew that St. Augustine existed before today. I knew that Spanish had earlier NA colonies, but just kind of assumed all of the old ones were in Cuba / Caribbean and not on the mainland.

All I remember about Florida in colonial American history was that between the swamp and the malaria, settling there was a poor decision. I think there was something about Native Americans making better slaves than the ones imported from Africa because they had more malaria resistance. 

Other way around. The Natives were ravaged with European diseases that Africans were immune to, due to proximity. That's part of the reason that blacks exclusively became slaves.

This. Which leads to all sorts of issues with sickle cell anemia in modern black populations. However, they got us back with syphilis. (I say "us," because I'm as whitey mcwhitefuck as they come.)

The best part is that you palefaces took a completely harmless form of syphilis back to Europe, where it promptly mutated into a face-rotting nightmare disease that swept through France, Italy and Spain.

You're welcome.

Well, no one ever said that immunity was a one way street.

[Nephew Twiddleton]

Also, we'll trade you one alcoholism for a lung cancer.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

Also, we'll trade you one alcoholism for a lung cancer.

Not really fair.

Euros were drunk all the time.  We were just used to it.

Native Americans used tobacco ceremonially.  I don't think they were sucking a pack down a day.

[Nephew Twiddleton]

Also, we'll trade you one alcoholism for a lung cancer.

Not really fair.

Euros were drunk all the time.  We were just used to it.

Native Americans used tobacco ceremonially.  I don't think they were sucking a pack down a day.

Ok, we'll throw in a smallpox, free of charge.

[Nephew Twiddleton]

True fact: Plymouth happened because a bunch of Virginia bound religious zealots ran out of booze.

[Nephew Twiddleton]

True fact: slavery was part of a trade triangle that involved human trafficking in order to harvest sugar, sugar in order to make rum, rum in order to pay for humans.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Seriously, I just close my eyes in hopelessness.

[Sita]

WASPs dominate understanding of history!

No, I know what you're saying.  But in some ways, you have to admit, the Spanish getting ignored is entirely unsurprising.

Unless you grow up in Florida, then half of your state history is Spanish colonialism, rather than English. Though the English did eventually take St. Augustine and played quite a large part in Florida as well. Florida history is actually REALLY interesting, considering how the state is looked upon now. For example, it's the Cross of Burgundy in the state flag, NOT the Confederate Battle Flag like the other southern states. And technically the first settlement in Florida was Fort Caroline which is now Jacksonville. It was by French Huguenots who got annihilated by the Spanish. So it's a lost settlement, like Roanoke, but we know what happened to them.

Surprisingly the history about my own state was rarely touched on while I was in school I never learned any of that.

Florida History was mandatory for us in 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 8th Grade (concurrent with American History), and 11th Grade (concurrent with American History.) But I also grew up in Liberal Tampa Bay pre-NCLB. Most school districts from what I understand were not as fortunate as Hillsborough and Pinellas County, where Penny for Pinellas pays for keeping the schools in pretty good shape.

I grew up in Tampa as well (c/o '99 here). If we had Florida history my teachers sucked at teaching it.

[Anna Mae Bollocks]

We had a metric fuckton of Texas history in school, the teachers were Hank Hill reverent about the shit - kind of like the way you see Texas flags all over the place. (When I lived in Mass, it took me awhile to even find out what the state flag looked like.) Actually, Texas history IS pretty interesting since so many of those people were BATSHIT INSANE, but that gets played down a lot in school. 

I pulled Jamestown out of my ass and then googled before I read the thread. Yeah, I know the Spanish explorers were here way before that, but I didn't really think of them in terms of "permanent settlement." More like "loot and scoot". But yeah, should have remembered the missions, etc. That would have been a clue.

[Nephew Twiddleton]

We had a metric fuckton of Texas history in school, the teachers were Hank Hill reverent about the shit - kind of like the way you see Texas flags all over the place. (When I lived in Mass, it took me awhile to even find out what the state flag looked like.) Actually, Texas history IS pretty interesting since so many of those people were BATSHIT INSANE, but that gets played down a lot in school. 

I pulled Jamestown out of my ass and then googled before I read the thread. Yeah, I know the Spanish explorers were here way before that, but I didn't really think of them in terms of "permanent settlement." More like "loot and scoot". But yeah, should have remembered the missions, etc. That would have been a clue.

I don't think I even knew what our flag looked like until I got to high school.

[Q. G. Pennyworth]

We had a metric fuckton of Texas history in school, the teachers were Hank Hill reverent about the shit - kind of like the way you see Texas flags all over the place. (When I lived in Mass, it took me awhile to even find out what the state flag looked like.) Actually, Texas history IS pretty interesting since so many of those people were BATSHIT INSANE, but that gets played down a lot in school. 

I pulled Jamestown out of my ass and then googled before I read the thread. Yeah, I know the Spanish explorers were here way before that, but I didn't really think of them in terms of "permanent settlement." More like "loot and scoot". But yeah, should have remembered the missions, etc. That would have been a clue.

I don't think I even knew what our flag looked like until I got to high school.

That's because our flag sucks.

[LMNO]

Also, if you ever get the chance to make it to St. Augustine, it's fucking GORGEOUS. It's one of the state's unsung places, because most of the tourists go to swampy ass Orlando for the Rat or Miami for the dirty beaches. Most of St. Augustine's Old City hasn't changed much. It's very European and not at all what you would expect in Florida.

I was a me to go there because a distant cousin-in-law got married in Daytona. We escaped for a day, and found St Augustine to be a refuge. I've been to Jacksonville , Miami, Orlando, Daytona, and St Augustine. I hated it all, but I'd take St Augustine gladly over the rest.

[Suu]

WASPs dominate understanding of history!

No, I know what you're saying.  But in some ways, you have to admit, the Spanish getting ignored is entirely unsurprising.

Unless you grow up in Florida, then half of your state history is Spanish colonialism, rather than English. Though the English did eventually take St. Augustine and played quite a large part in Florida as well. Florida history is actually REALLY interesting, considering how the state is looked upon now. For example, it's the Cross of Burgundy in the state flag, NOT the Confederate Battle Flag like the other southern states. And technically the first settlement in Florida was Fort Caroline which is now Jacksonville. It was by French Huguenots who got annihilated by the Spanish. So it's a lost settlement, like Roanoke, but we know what happened to them.

Surprisingly the history about my own state was rarely touched on while I was in school I never learned any of that.

Florida History was mandatory for us in 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 8th Grade (concurrent with American History), and 11th Grade (concurrent with American History.) But I also grew up in Liberal Tampa Bay pre-NCLB. Most school districts from what I understand were not as fortunate as Hillsborough and Pinellas County, where Penny for Pinellas pays for keeping the schools in pretty good shape.

I grew up in Tampa as well (c/o '99 here). If we had Florida history my teachers sucked at teaching it.

C/O 2000, here. Where the fuck did you go? Blake?

[Nephew Twiddleton]

We had a metric fuckton of Texas history in school, the teachers were Hank Hill reverent about the shit - kind of like the way you see Texas flags all over the place. (When I lived in Mass, it took me awhile to even find out what the state flag looked like.) Actually, Texas history IS pretty interesting since so many of those people were BATSHIT INSANE, but that gets played down a lot in school. 

I pulled Jamestown out of my ass and then googled before I read the thread. Yeah, I know the Spanish explorers were here way before that, but I didn't really think of them in terms of "permanent settlement." More like "loot and scoot". But yeah, should have remembered the missions, etc. That would have been a clue.

I don't think I even knew what our flag looked like until I got to high school.

That's because our flag sucks.

Well, yeah, we're the one state with a Native on our flag and no Natives. Except out by Natick, I think.

[Suu]

We had a metric fuckton of Texas history in school, the teachers were Hank Hill reverent about the shit - kind of like the way you see Texas flags all over the place. (When I lived in Mass, it took me awhile to even find out what the state flag looked like.) Actually, Texas history IS pretty interesting since so many of those people were BATSHIT INSANE, but that gets played down a lot in school. 

I pulled Jamestown out of my ass and then googled before I read the thread. Yeah, I know the Spanish explorers were here way before that, but I didn't really think of them in terms of "permanent settlement." More like "loot and scoot". But yeah, should have remembered the missions, etc. That would have been a clue.

I don't think I even knew what our flag looked like until I got to high school.

That's because our flag sucks.

Well, yeah, we're the one state with a Native on our flag and no Natives. Except out by Natick, I think.

All the Wampanoags are on the South Shore. You know, around Plymouth, where they lived.