Francisco Menéndez (Black soldier)

Francisco Menéndez (c. 1704 – after 1763) was a free Black militiaman and privateer who served the Spanish Empire and helped escaped slaves gain their freedom in Spanish Florida. He was a leader of Fort Mose, the first free Black settlement in North America.

Born in The Gambia in West Africa, Menéndez was captured and sold into slavery, being purchased by European slave traders and shipped across the Atlantic to British Carolina. He escaped into Spanish Florida soon after, taking advantage of the Spanish policy which granted freedom to fugitive slaves from the British Southern colonies. Menéndez enlisted in the Spanish colonial militia, and successfully petitioned for the freedom of himself and 31 others. He moved into Gracia Real de Santa Teresa de Mose (Fort Mose), which had been established as a settlement and military outpost for free people of color by the Spanish governor. After participating in numerous conflicts, Menéndez was recognized by the Spanish Crown for his loyalty and courage. He eventually retired in Havana, after founding the village of San Agustín de la Nueva Florida (Ceiba Mocha) in Cuba.

Fort Mose has since been designated as a National Historic Landmark and a World Heritage Site, as it was the first officially recognized community of free Blacks in what is now the United States.