Native Americans in Palm Beach County
The DuBois house on top of the Jeaga shell mound in DuBois Park, Jupiter. Courtesy Historical Society of Palm Beach County Florida’s unique history began long before it earned its Spanish-based name. By the end of the last ice age, or about 12,000 years ago, the first people were already living in the area we […]
Palm Beach County History-Introduction
West Palm Beach 1900 Courtesy Historical Society of Palm Beach County West Palm Beach 2002 Courtesy Historical Society of Palm Beach County History is the study of change over time. Many things influence change, such as geography, weather, natural resources, and people. The story of how those changes affected humans and the area around them […]
Special Districts and Consolidation Government
There are two additional forms of local governments: the special district, and a consolidation of city and county governments. The first form provides specific needs and is separate from the county government. The other eliminates duplication of some services, thereby centralizing the government. SPECIAL DISTRICTS Special districts provide a specialized service to a specific geographical […]
County and Municipal Governments
Florida has sixty-seven county governments and 408 municipal governments. These local governments help the state government run Florida more efficiently. Each county has a county seat, where the center of county government is located. For instance, the county seat for Palm Beach County is West Palm Beach. Many counties operate under a charter, which is […]
Civics and History
Civics is the study of the rights and duties of citizens. The concept of citizenship comes from ancient Greece and Rome, where only adult males with property had the right to vote and to be part of the political process. In the United States, your gender or wealth does not prohibit you from participating as […]
Florida Government
The State of Florida has a constitution much like the U.S. Constitution. The purpose of a constitution is to provide the framework for government, limit government authority, and protect the rights of the people. Though each state has its own constitution, the U.S. Constitution is the supreme law of the land. Florida’s first constitution was […]
Geography
Geographic Location, Land, and Climate History of Florida Geology & Geography Florida has a unique geography that can be seen and explored today. Learn the history of the land and how it was formed. Click below for a downloadable copy of this article. Download Student Copy Download Teacher Copy Geographic Location, the Land, […]
Florida’s Ancient People
Florida’s Ancient People Palm Beach County: The People of the Water This section provides an overview of the first native tribes and the ancient people that inhabited South Florida. Click below for a downloadable copy of this article. Open Student Copy Open Teacher Copy Florida’s Early Native Americans Our state’s history began long before the […]
Colonial Florida
Colonial Florida Click below for a downloadable copy of this article. Open Student Copy Open Teacher Copy Juan Ponce de León Courtesy of Jacques Reich THE FIRST SPANISH PERIOD The first explorers authorized by the Spanish government arrived in Florida in the sixteenth century. When they encountered the native peoples, they found most of them to […]
Territorial Florida
Territorial Florida Seminole Wars | Territorial Florida This section provides an overview of Florida while it was still a Territory and the Seminole Wars. Click below for a downloadable copy of this article. Student Download Teacher Download TERRITORY OF FLORIDA Florida became a territory of the United States on March 4, 1822. A territory is […]
