FEBRUARY 22

On this date in 1819, the Adams-Onis Treaty was signed.  It became effective on this date two years later. Okay, I heard you say, "The What Treaty?"

Here's the scoop.  The treaty was negotiated by John Quincy Adams while he was Secretary of State under President James Monroe.  The Onis character was the Foreign Minister of Spain under King Ferdinand VII.
And what did they agree on?  Spain sold Florida to the United States.  Thank Goodness!  I'd hate to be getting my passport out every time I visited my daughter.

How much do you think we paid for Florida?  We agreed to pay residents claims against the Spanish government up to a total of $5 million.  (The people of Florida were driving Spain crazy with all their demands.)  We also agreed (wink, wink) to leave our hands off of other Spanish territories in Louisiana, Texas and beyond - all the way to the Pacific Ocean.

It was a good deal.  Without Florida, we wouldn't have all those funny, outrageous news stories that come out of there every day.
 *O*