Professor Matthew C. Mirow has just published the article Law in East Florida 1783-1821 in the American Journal of Legal History. Using primary sources from the East Florida Papers, the article explores colonial legality in St. Augustine and the Province of East Florida during the second Spanish period from 1783 to 1821. The article concludes that the sources are worthy of more detailed study that will shed light on slavery, family, religion, trade, and landholding. He hopes that additional work in the East Florida Papers may establish new paths in the historiography of law in Northern Spanish colonies.
“There is such a dearth of work done on the legal history of Florida’s colonial periods. Every page of these legal documents reveals something new about our state’s history,” said Mirow.
The article may be downloaded here.