The Influence of Physical Geography upon Political Development--Defect in the Southern Boundary of the United States before 1819--The Treaty of Paris of 1763--The Boundary between Louisiana and Florida--Occupation of Florida by the United States Forces during the War of 1812--The Hold of the Spaniards on Florida Weakened by the War of 1812--The British Troops in Florida during and after the War of 1812--Nicholls and his Buccaneer State in Florida--The British Government's Repulse of Nicholls' Advances--Destruction of the Nicholls Fort by the United States Forces--The Seminole War--The Fight at Fowltown--The Seminole War Defensive--McGregor on Amelia Island--General Gaines sent to Amelia Island--General Jackson placed in Command in Florida--His Orders--Jackson's Letter to President Monroe--Jackson's Operations in Florida--The First Treaty for the Cession of Florida to the United States--Jackson's Popularity in consequence of the Seminole War--The Attempt in Congress to Censure Jackson--The same Attempt in the Cabinet--The Failure of the Attempt to Censure Jackson in Congress--Assumption of the Responsibility for Jackson's Acts by the Administration--Jackson Triumphant--The Treaty of Cession Attacked in Congress, but Ratified by the Senate--Rejection of the Treaty by the Spanish Government--Resumption of Negotiations--The New Treaty Ratified by the Senate and by the Spanish Government--Political Results of the Seminole War. It was entirely natural that the quickening of the national spirit and the growth of the national consciousness throughout the United States, in the decade between 1810 and 1820, had, for one of their results, the {20} extension of the territory of the United States, at some point or other, to its natural limits. [Sidenote: The influence of physical geography upon political development.] The element of physical geography always plays a large part in national political development. The natural territorial basis of a national state is a geographical unity. That is, it is a territory separated by broad bodies of water, or high mountain ranges, or broad belts of uninhabitable country, or climatic extremes, from other territory, and possessing a fair degree of coherence within. If a national state develops itself on any part of such a territory, it will inevitably tend to spread to the natural limits of the same. It will not become a completely national state until it shall have attained such boundaries, for a completely national state is the sovereign organization of a people having an ethnic unity upon a territory which is a geographic unity. [Sidenote: Defect in the southern boundary of the United States before 1819.]