PallasFlorida Becomes a United States Territory 3rd grade · age 8
By Simit Patel · published October 25, 2026
When the United States took over Florida in 1821, should its new government have kept the Spanish rules that gave Black residents and Seminole families more freedom?
Under what conditions should a new government protect the rights of small groups already living in a place, even when most of the newcomers want different rules?
The Judgment Lab asks: What do we think about that? When we work on the Judgment Lab, our ultimate goal is to articulate our own principles and values in a thoughtful and respectful way.
As you learned in the reading, Florida used to belong to Spain. Spain was running out of money and could not keep its forts in good shape. The United States was growing fast and wanted more land. In 1817, the U.S. sent General Andrew Jackson and his soldiers into Florida. Spain was too weak to fight back, so in 1819 the two countries signed the Adams-Onís Treaty. Spain agreed to give Florida to the United States.
Before the U.S. took over, different groups of people were already living in Florida. The Seminole Indians had been there for many years and were known for welcoming runaway slaves. Free Black people living in Florida had certain rights under Spanish rule. These groups had built their lives under Spanish laws.
On July 17, 1821, Spain formally handed Florida to the United States, and the new American government put in place laws that took away rights free Black people had held under Spain. Seminole families faced American settlers moving onto their lands. The Judgment Lab asks you to think about whether the new U.S. government should have kept the old Spanish rules that gave these groups more freedom.
When the Judgment Lab asks about "rights," it means the freedoms and protections that laws give to people — like the right to own property, move around freely, or not be treated unfairly. Under Spanish rules, free Black residents and Seminole families had certain rights like these. When we talk about "small groups," we mean people who are fewer in number compared to the larger group moving in — in this case, the American settlers who came to Florida after the United States took over.
Was it right for the new U.S. government to take away the freedoms that Black residents and Seminole families already had under Spanish rules, just because American settlers wanted different laws?
Follow the steps below to complete this Judgment Lab. By the end of the lab, you will have decided whether you think the new U.S. government in Florida should have kept the Spanish rules that gave Black residents and Seminole families more freedom. You will also articulate and test your principles about under what conditions a new government should protect the rights of small groups already living in a place, even when most of the newcomers want different rules.
Step one
Generating claims
When the United States took over Florida in 1821, should its new government have kept the Spanish rules that gave Black residents and Seminole families more freedom?
Yes
No
Step two
Articulating principles and values
Under what conditions should a new government protect the rights of small groups already living in a place, even when most of the newcomers want different rules?
Always, never, or sometimes?
Principles
I think that a new government should protect the rights of small groups already living in a place, even when most of the newcomers want different rules, when...
Values and beliefs
I think that because I believe that...
Step three
Testing principles on a new case
New Mexico After the War With Mexico
In 1848, the United States and Mexico finished fighting a war. The two countries signed a peace paper called the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. In it, Mexico gave up a huge piece of land that included what we now call New Mexico, Arizona, California, and more. Thousands of Mexican families were already living there.
The treaty made a promise. It said that the Mexican families who stayed could become United States citizens, and that their property would be protected. Soon, American settlers began moving west into New Mexico. Many of the newcomers wanted new rules, new courts, and new ways of deciding who owned which piece of land. Some of them wanted the old Mexican land grants thrown out so they could claim the land for themselves.
The United States government had to choose. It could keep the old Mexican rules about who owned what, or it could make brand-new American rules. Congress set up a special office, and later a special court, to look at the old Spanish and Mexican land papers. Many lost land their families had farmed for a very long time, because the old papers did not match the new rules.
Apply your principle to the new case
According to your general principle, should the new American government in New Mexico have kept the old Mexican land rules that protected Mexican families' homes and farms? Why or why not?
From Florida Becomes a United States Territory, a 3rd grade history lesson on Pallas.