Autonomous Landscapes at Fort Mose

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Seeking Freedom in the Borderlands: Archaeological Perspectives on Maroon Societies in Florida" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Fort Mose was the first legally sanctioned free Black community in North America. While the direct result of petitions by self-liberated Africans seeking formal emancipation, the policy that generated the settlement reflected political, military, and religious concerns of the Spanish as well. The governor of Florida guaranteed the legal freedom of self-emancipated Africans in 1693 only if they converted to Catholicism, occupied a fort on the frontier of St. Augustine, and fought against Spanish enemies. These contingencies are embodied in the built environment of Fort Mose and in the materiality of daily practices there. While historical and archaeological attention has highlighted the opportunities and challenges of military service for Afro-descendant peoples, the role of religion has been under-examined. This paper explores the intersection of religion and autonomy in the colonial landscape at Fort Mose through analysis of settlement patterns, movements, use of space, and archaeological evidence. While the alliance between the formerly enslaved individuals and the Spanish government might typically preclude use of the term “maroon” to describe the community, an understanding of ritual autonomy and spiritual practice reminds us that the militia at Fort Mose was constantly negotiating the line between freedom and bondage and continually reasserting their independence.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Seeking Freedom in the Borderlands: Archaeological Perspectives on Maroon Societies in Florida   •
• Society for American Archaeology 88th Annual Meeting, Portland, OR (2023)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 37293.0