The Mobile District was an administrative division of the Spanish colony of

West Florida West Florida ( es, Florida Occidental) was a region on the northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico that underwent several boundary and sovereignty changes during its history. As its name suggests, it was formed out of the western part of former S ...

, which was claimed by the short-lived

Republic of West Florida The Republic of West Florida ( es, República de Florida Occidental, french: République de Floride occidentale), officially the State of Florida, was a short-lived republic in the western region of Spanish West Florida for just over months du ...

, established on September 23, 1810.

Reuben Kemper Reuben Kemper (February 21, 1771 – January 29, 1827) was an American pioneer and filibuster. Kemper and West Florida Born in Fauquier County, Virginia, Kemper and his brothers Nathan and Samuel settled in Feliciana Parish, near Baton Rouge, Span ...

led a small force in an attempt to capture

Mobile Mobile may refer to: Places * Mobile, Alabama, a U.S. port city * Mobile County, Alabama * Mobile, Arizona, a small town near Phoenix, U.S. * Mobile, Newfoundland and Labrador Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels * Mobile ( ...

from the

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

on behalf of the new republic, but the expedition ended in failure. The district was bounded on the north by the 31st parallel, on the south by the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an oceanic basin, ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of ...

, on the east by the

Perdido River Perdido River, historically Rio Perdido (1763), is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 15, 2011 river in the U.S. states of Alabama and Florida; the Perdido, a desig ...

, and on the west by the

Pearl River The Pearl River, also known by its Chinese name Zhujiang or Zhu Jiang in Mandarin pinyin or Chu Kiang and formerly often known as the , is an extensive river system in southern China. The name "Pearl River" is also often used as a catch-all ...

. In 1810 the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, citing the

Mobile Act The Mobile Act was the popular name of a bill signed into law in early 1804 by United States President Thomas Jefferson. The law defined revenue boundaries for the newly acquired territories that the United States had gained from its purchase o ...

of 1804, justified its annexation of the Baton Rouge District, which had been under the control of the unrecognized Republic of West Florida. At that time, the Mobile District remained under

control. The District, however, was later declared by

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of a ...

to be annexed to the United States on May 14, 1812,Tucker, Spencer C. (1993). ''The Jeffersonian Gunboat Navy''. Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina Press. . p. 101. immediately prior to the start of the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

with

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

, with whom Spain was allied. Nearly a year later, a U.S. military force arrived in

to formally accept the presiding Spanish commander's surrender. The Mobile District was incorporated into the

Mississippi Territory The Territory of Mississippi was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from April 7, 1798, until December 10, 1817, when the western half of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Mississippi. T ...

. From that point,

Spanish Florida Spanish Florida ( es, La Florida) was the first major European land claim and attempted settlement in North America during the European Age of Discovery. ''La Florida'' formed part of the Captaincy General of Cuba, the Viceroyalty of New Spain, ...

was equivalent in its geography to today's

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

; however, it would be nearly another decade before Spain ceded Florida to the United States. Today the former Mobile District forms the southernmost sections of two states,

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

and

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

References

Former regions and territories of the United States Geography of Florida States and territories established in 1810 {{US-hist-stub

See also

References