The Florida Historical Quarterly

I'm Ben Broatmarkle.

Visit us anytime online at myfloridahistory.org to watch our public television series, Florida Frontiers, subscribe to our journal, the Florida Historical Quarterly, and much more.

That's myfloridahistory.org.

The hottest spot

north of Hobart.

Joining us now is Connie Lester, associate professor of history at the University of Central Florida, director of the Riches Digital Archiving Project and editor of the Florida Historical Quarterly.

Connie, following World War II, people were in a mood to celebrate and Miami Beach was ready to accommodate them with an active nightclub scene.

Yes, they were.

That's myfloridahistory.org.

Joining us now is Connie Lester, Associate Professor of History at the University of Central Florida, Director of the Riches Digital Archiving Project, and Editor of the Florida Historical Quarterly.

Connie, the story of the Everglades and the evolution of cultural and scientific thought on the environment and the people who populated the region has played a significant role in Florida's history and economy.

Many of these stories center around the complicated history surrounding efforts to drain the Everglades and the failure to achieve that goal.

His efforts also fell short.

Much of the focus on history has been on these two efforts and the support of, for the projects by progressives.

Chris Willem, one of a Florida cohort of rising environmental historians, wrote his first article for the Florida Historical Quarterly in 2012 on opposition to Everglades drainage from three important progressive: Frank Stoneman, the editor of the Miami Morning News Record, Minnie Moore Wilson, a Seminole activist, and John Kunkle Small, a botanist.

Connie, this is an eclectic group of dissenters.

That's myfloridahistory.org.

Joining us now is Connie Lester, associate professor of history at the University of Central Florida, director of the Ridges Digital Archiving Project and editor of the Florida Historical Quarterly.

Connie, Puerto Rico has been a U.S. territory since 1898 when the United States took control of the island after the Spanish-Cuban-American War.

While Puerto Rico has achieved a measure of autonomy over the years, political and economic control of the island remains significantly in the hands of the U.S. Congress.

Since the U.S. takeover of Puerto Rico, migration to and from the states has been an enduring element in the daily life of Puerto Ricans.

There are currently 5.9 million Puerto Ricans living in the continental United States and another 3.2 million living on the island.

Victor Vasquez Hernandez, a retired professor from Miami Dade College, wrote an article for the Florida Historical Quarterly's 2023 special issue on Puerto Ricans in Florida, in which he outlined the history of Puerto Rico and migration of its inhabitants from the early 20th century through World War II.

As Vasquez Hernandez explains, at the end of the Spanish-Cuban-American War in 1898, a U.S. military government replaced the local Puerto Rican government, which had been established under the autonomous charter granted to Puerto Ricans by Spain in 1897.