The Armed Occupation Act – U.S. Military

Armed Occupation Act

Incentive to settle Florida (1842)

Purpose	Incentivize population growth in Florida by granting land
Land Grant	160 acres of unsettled land to heads of families
Geographic Location	South of the line separating townships 9 and 10 South, near Palatka and Newnansville
Maximum Land	200,000 acres total under the act
Year Passed	1842
Legislation Type	United States federal legislation

Here are the key details about the Armed Occupation Act of 1842:

Purpose:

The Act was passed by Congress on August 4, 1842 as an incentive to increase the population and settlement of Florida, especially in areas still occupied by Seminole Indians.

Terms of the Act:

It granted 160 acres of unsettled land in Florida to any white male head of family who was a Florida resident and did not already own 160 acres.
To receive the land grant, settlers had to:
- Obtain a permit from the local land office
- Reside on the land for 5 consecutive years
- Cultivate at least 5 acres in the first year
- Build a habitable house on the land within the first year
- The land had to be at least 2 miles away from any U.S. military post
The total land granted was limited to 200,000 acres.
Settlers were expected to provide militia service if needed to control the Seminole Indian threat.

Implementation:

Nearly 1,200 homesteaders claimed around 200,000 acres under the Act, mainly in central and southern Florida areas like Indian River and Hillsborough County.
There were difficulties with some settlers not meeting all requirements precisely, resulting in 128 permits being annulled.
At least 66 settlement sites were abandoned by settlers unable to sustain themselves on the granted lands.

Impact:

The Act helped boost Florida’s population enough to qualify for statehood in 1845, just 3 years after its passage.
It indirectly led to renewed conflict with Seminoles by allowing encroachment on their lands, provoking the Third Seminole War (1855-1858).
While increasing settlement, it failed to create the intended band of armed settlers capable of controlling the Seminoles.

So in summary, the Armed Occupation Act granted free land to white settlers willing to cultivate it for 5 years, with the dual goals of increasing Florida’s population for statehood and having settlers help remove the remaining Seminoles, though this latter aim backfired. The Act faced implementation challenges but succeeded in boosting settlement in Florida’s interior.