NORTHEAST TALLAHASSEE, FL — As America approaches its 250th anniversary, families gathered at the Time Travel to Florida 1776 festival in Tallahassee, where reenactors brought Florida's colonial past to life.
Organizers say events like this help visitors understand Florida's unique role in the Revolutionary War era.
Unlike the 13 colonies fighting for independence, East and West Florida remained loyal to King George III throughout the Revolution.
Ben Gunter, who portrayed Lieutenant John Moultrie, a British official in East Florida during the American Revolution, at the festival, says many visitors are surprised to learn Florida's story unfolded differently than the story often taught about the nation's founding.
"Why was that important? Because it lets us see that the American Revolution was not a unanimous decision by everyone in the colonies to leave the king and start to work on a way, a new way of governing that gives us encouragement today, because the disagreements that exist among us today can be resolved," Gunter said.
Gunter says that understanding history can help people better understand the world around them today.
"If we know our past, we can avoid the pitfalls that our ancestors stepped into, and we can plot better directions into the future," Gunter said.
For parents like Sheena Austin, learning those lessons firsthand is exactly why she brought her daughters to the festival.
Throughout the day, she helped them explore military encampments and historical reenactments, connecting them with a past she believes is too important to forget.
"We're losing our history. We're losing the information, and the elders are really the only ones we can go to to get the real stories. That's why I think it's very important to sit down under your elders and talk to them about history," Austin said.
Austin says history lessons don't end when the school day does and that hands-on experiences can help young people connect with the past in ways a textbook cannot, that why she brought her daughters to the festival.
"I came out because I do teach them about history. They love it. I've always loved history, and I think it's important to know, especially now, so we don't repeat the atrocities that happened. A lot of our young people don't know their history, and I think it's important," Austin said.
Austin hopes exposing her daughters to history now will encourage them to ask questions, learn from those who came before them, and carry those stories into the future.
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