Integrating social, cultural, economic, and political history, this is a study of the factors that grounded-- or swayed-- the loyalties of non-Spaniards living under Spanish rule on the southern frontier. In particular, Andrew McMichael looks at the colonial Spanish administration's attitude toward resident Americans.

Settling the West Florida frontier : land, wealth, and loyalty -- Working the West Florida frontier : slavery and the accumulation of wealth -- Owning the West Florida frontier : the international microcosm of the Louisiana Purchase -- Strains on the system I : filibustering -- Strains on the system II : slavery and the law -- Testing the bounds of loyalty : property and crime -- Breaking the bonds : the end of Spanish rule in West Florida.