Editing Pensacola, Florida (section)

===British===
{{Main|West Florida|British West Florida|Siege of Pensacola|Gulf Coast campaign|Treaty of Paris (1783)}}
{{See also|American Revolutionary War|Spain and the American Revolutionary War}}
[[File:Prise de Pensacola.jpg|thumb|Engraving (1783) depicting the [[Siege of Pensacola]]]]

After years of settlement, the Spanish ceded Florida to the British in 1763 as a result of an exchange following British victory over both France and Spain in the [[French and Indian War]] (the North American theater of the [[Seven Years' War]]), and French cession of its territories in North America. The British designated Pensacola as the capital of their new colony of [[West Florida]]. From 1763, the British strengthened defenses around the mainland area of fort [[San Carlos de Barrancas]], building the Royal Navy Redoubt. [[George Johnstone (royal navy)|George Johnstone]] was appointed as the first British governor, and in 1764, a [[colonial assembly]] was established.<ref name="Alden1957">{{cite book |author=John Richard Alden |title=The South in the Revolution, 1763–1789 |url=https://archive.org/details/southinrevolutio0000alde |url-access=registration |year=1957 |publisher=Louisiana State University Press |isbn=978-0-8071-0013-4 |page=[https://archive.org/details/southinrevolutio0000alde/page/121 121] }}</ref><ref name=Coker1991>{{cite book |author1=Coker, William S |author2=Shofner, Jerrell H. |author3=Morris, Joan Perry |author4=Malone, Myrtle Davidson |title=Florida from the Beginning to 1992 : a Columbus Jubilee Commemorative |date=1991 |publisher=Pioneer Publications |location=Houston |page=4 |url=http://ufdc.ufl.edu/UF00025122/00007/4j |access-date=June 28, 2014 |archive-date=January 11, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140111193114/http://ufdc.ufl.edu/UF00025122/00007/4j |url-status=live }}</ref> The structure of the colony was modeled after the existing [[British America|British colonies in America]], as opposed to [[French Canada]], which was based on a different structure. West Florida was invited to send delegates to the [[First Continental Congress]], which was convened to present colonial grievances against the British Parliament to [[George III of the United Kingdom|George III]], but along with several other colonies, including East Florida, they declined the invitation. Once the [[American War of Independence]] had broken out, the colonists remained overwhelmingly loyal to the Crown. In 1778, the [[Willing Expedition]] proceeded with a small force down the Mississippi, ransacking estates and plantations, until they were eventually defeated by a local militia. In the wake of this, the area received a small number of British reinforcements.

British military resources were limited and Pensacola ranked fairly low on their list of priorities. So, only small token number of British military forces were ever sent to defend Pensacola. This was in contrast to colonies such as South Carolina, where large numbers of British soldiers were sent.<ref>Spain, Britain and the American Revolution in Florida, 1763-1783
By James W. Raab</ref> After Spain joined the [[American Revolution]] in 1779 on the side of the rebels, Spanish forces captured the city in the 1781 [[Siege of Pensacola]], gaining control of West Florida.<ref name=SRhist1/> After the war, the British officially ceded both West Florida and [[East Florida]] to Spain as part of the postwar [[Treaty of Paris (1783)|peace settlement]].

In 1785, many Creek from southern Alabama and [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]] came to trade, and Pensacola developed as a major trade center. It was a garrison town, predominantly males in the military or trade.<ref name="dysart"/> Americans made raids into the area, and settlers pressured the federal government to gain control of this territory.