Beginning in the 17th century through 1763 the French, the Spanish and the English each laid claim, at different times, to the region that now includes parts of the states of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida.
At the conclusion of the French and Indian War (also known as the Seven Year War) Great Britain received from the French portions of Louisiana between the Mississippi and Perdidio Rivers and the Spanish Colony of Florida. The British divided the region into East and West Florida. Boundaries of West Florida were the Mississippi to the Chattahoochee Rivers and North at the 31st parallel. The Gulf of Mexico was the Southern Boundary.
The colony had been invited to the 1st Continental Congress, but did not send representatives. They were one of 5 continental colonies that did not send representatives, the others being East Florida, Quebec, St. John’s Isle, and Nova Scotia.
The Treaty of Paris, which ended the American Revolution, the British set the American Boundary at the 31st Parallel and ceded the both Florida Colonies to the Spanish. This was just the beginning of a number of border disagreements between the United States, Spain and France.
In 1810, Americans who had settled in the region resented the Spanish Rule. This lead to a rebellion On September 23 the rebellion took the Spanish fort at Baton Rouge and the Republic of West Florida was born and lived for 90 days.