Distractions

The first was the fall of the Alamo, which occurred just as the Second Seminole War was starting to attract national attention. The Alamo galvanized Americans like few events in history. The Florida war quickly became secondary in the national consciousness, as public opinion rallied around the fallen Texans. In some ways this was ironic, since the defenders of the Alamo fought, among other reasons, for the right to hold slaves. The martyrdom of slaveholders in Texas helped the government avoid scrutiny over the state-funded aggression of slaveholders in Florida.