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Research Papers

Core Themes: The Atlantic World, Colonial Rivalries, Spanish Florida, British Colonial Era
Summary: Exploring a highly unique and overlooked chapter in early American history, this paper investigates the strategic enslavement of Spanish soldiers, Franciscan friars, and Catholic Mission Indians by British-backed Native American slave raiders. Tracing the conflict from the initial Westo incursions to the tragic fall of the Apalachee missions, the study demonstrates how the British Carolinian colony weaponized the indigenous slave trade as a geopolitical tool to aggressively shrink Spanish territory. This research expands the traditional boundaries of North American slavery historiography by documenting the unique cross-cultural vulnerabilities of Christian and European captives on the southern frontier.

Core Themes: Florida History, Geopolitics of the Revolution, Espionage, American Revolution, British Colonial Era
Summary: While standard American histories focus primarily on the thirteen northern colonies, this study explores the profound geopolitical impact of the Revolutionary War on the early Florida borderlands. The paper reconstructs the operations of a clandestine Spanish spy network operating within loyalist St. Augustine, focusing on specific Spanish Floridanos who successfully gathered intelligence and secured local tribal neutrality. By linking these underground efforts directly to Governor Bernardo de Gálvez's pivotal victory at the 1781 Siege of Pensacola, this paper demonstrates how Spanish-Floridian operations structurally weakened British power just months before the American victory at Yorktown.

Core Themes: Historiography, Indigenous Geopolitics, Spanish Florida, The Atlantic World
Summary: This paper supports J. Michael Francis’ challenge to the long-held historical assumption regarding the 1597 Guale revolt in what is today coastal Georgia. While traditional narratives rely strictly on early Franciscan accounts to frame the event purely as a reaction against Christian marriage laws, this study confirms Francis’ conclusion using modern archaeological data and legal testimonies. The analysis agrees with Francis’ assessment uncovering a complex political web of inter-tribal power dynamics and shifting colonial allegiances. By proving that political ambition for regional leadership ultimately drove the conflict, this work demonstrates a move in the right direction to rescuing historical truth from oversimplified narratives.

Core Themes: Moravian Church, American Revolution, Institutional Order, Civic Virtue, Western Civilization History
Summary: This paper traces the fascinating cultural lineage and economic impact of the Moravians, tracking their development from the 15th-century Bohemian Hussite movement to their settlement in early America. It examines how their highly structured communal lifestyle, disciplined spirituality, and Pietist-driven work ethic successfully transformed Bethlehem, Pennsylvania into a major industrial and technological center. Furthermore, the study highlights their profound civic virtue during the American Revolution; though tethered to an institutional commitment to pacifism, the community demonstrated remarkable moral flexibility by opening their homes as military hospitals and selflessly nursing wounded Patriot forces.

Catholics in the New World I Diocese of Savannah (2025)