Spanish Alarm facts for kids

The Spanish Alarm was a time between 1739 and 1748 when Spain attacked British colonies in North America. This happened during a bigger fight called the War of Jenkins' Ear between Great Britain and Spain.

During this period, the Spanish government told its forces in the colonies to attack port towns in the British colonies of North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. The British government couldn't send enough soldiers to protect these colonies. So, they told the colonists to form their own groups of citizen soldiers, called militias, to defend themselves.

Why the Alarm Started

After a big war called the War of the Spanish Succession, Britain and Spain were still trying to be the most powerful nations. This struggle spread to their colonies in the Americas.

There were several reasons for the tension:

• British colonists were cutting down trees for wood on the Mosquito Coast, which Spain said was against earlier agreements.
• Spanish coast guard ships were stopping and searching British merchant ships in Spanish waters. They were very strict about it.
• British merchants were secretly bringing illegal goods into Spanish colonies. This was called smuggling.

Because of these problems, it was clear that fighting would eventually break out between the British and Spanish settlements, especially in Georgia and Florida.

What Happened During the Spanish Alarm

The British colonies of South Carolina and Georgia asked the British government for help. They even sent letters from important people like James Oglethorpe, who founded Georgia. The British government did send some military support, but it took a long time, which worried the leaders in Georgia.

In 1737, a British leader named Sir Robert Walpole wrote about the colonies' strengths:

• Georgia could gather about 300 men to fight.
• South Carolina had money but not many men.
• North Carolina had men but not much money.

Soon after, the British Navy and Army started sending ships and soldiers to South Carolina and Georgia.

When the War of Jenkins' Ear officially began, North Carolina raised four groups of 100 soldiers each. These soldiers joined other colonial forces in a big, but unsuccessful, attack on a Spanish city called Cartagena in 1741.

Also, the British colonies formed local militias to protect their towns and ports along the coast from Spanish attacks. These attacks happened often from 1741 to 1748. For example, the Spanish attacked Beaufort Town and Brunswick Town in North Carolina in 1747.

In 1739, when news spread that Britain and Spain were at war, colonists in South Carolina were happy. Business owners in the colony hoped this war would help them reduce Spain's power. They wanted to:

• Stop Spain from encouraging slave rebellions.
• Set clear borders for their colony.
• Control trade with Native American tribes by pushing back the Spanish frontier.
• Make money from new business opportunities.

However, when the war finally ended, people in South Carolina were relieved. The war hadn't brought many benefits. Business owners in Charleston had hoped to profit from the war, but as the Spanish raids continued, they realized the negative effects. Many colonists lost their excitement, especially in the 1740s. Over nine years of fighting, Charleston ships only captured 21 enemy ships as prizes of war. The book Georgia Journeys said that the Spanish Alarm "greatly damaged the colony's farming."

The End of the Alarm

Britain and Spain settled some of their disagreements in a peace agreement called the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle in 1748. This treaty effectively stopped the Spanish raids into the British colonies in North America.