Call, Richard K. (1792-1862). Third and Fifth Territorial Governor of Florida. Printed broadside, approx. 5 x 6 in., two-column format, on larger sheet. Signed at bottom, "R.K. Call" as Governor of Florida. Tallahassee, June 18, 1836. Call notes that because of the attacks of the Seminoles, and the unrest spreading to the Creeks, it had become necessary to enlist 10,000 volunteers, approved by Andrew Jackson, President, to put down the Indian uprisings once and for all. 1,000 of these new volunteers were to come from Florida. The initial push would be to keep the Seminoles and Creeks from joining forces, although some Creeks had already moved to what is today the Florida panhandle after their defeat by Jackson in 1814 (Treaty of Fort Jackson).

Much of Jackson's reputation as an Indian fighter came in the Creek Wars of 1813-1814. Then he moved into West Florida in 1816, agitating the Seminoles. Taken together, the Seminole Wars became the longest, deadliest of the Indian wars, covering a span of over a century, although most were fought from 1816-1819, 1835-1842, and 1855-1858. Many future Civil War Generals got their field fighting experience in Florida, as did many future Presidents (besides Jackson, Van Buren, William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, Zachary Taylor, Franklin Pierce, and James Buchanan all spent some time in this most southern of the states).

This second Seminole war began with the attempt to move the Seminoles out of Florida completely in 1832. By the end, most were dead, starving, or ravaged by disease. Many of the survivors moved to Indian Territory (Oklahoma), although very few remained on a "reservation" in southwest Florida. In the 1850s, it seems as though the Army was attempting to remove those stragglers, fueling another Seminole War. Most finally agreed to move to Oklahoma, but an estimated 100 fled into the Everglades and remained there for over a century. Into the 20th century, descendants of those survivors became a colorful addition to the tourist scene in Florida, setting up stands along the Tamiami Trail selling dolls and other handicraft souvenirs.

Presently framed and glazed. Not removed for examination. Appears to just have some surface soil along old folds.