In the early sixteenth century, Juan Ponce de León discovered the people of Florida. In 1508, he became a discover when he found and named the island of Puerto Rico.

In 1521, Ponce de León tried to colonize the southwest Florida coast. But the native Indians resisted, mortally wounded Ponce de León and drove the Spanish away.

In 1743, the Spanish gave up on Miami. Twenty years later, they also gave up on Florida. At the 1763 Treaty of Paris which ended the Seven Years' War (Americans called it the French and Indian War), Spain used Florida to ransom back Havana which the English had captured. After more than two centuries of Spanish rule, Florida became an English colony.

In 1783, the British decided to exchange Florida for the Bahamas which Spain had captured during the war. The second Spanish period lasted from 1784 to 1821.

In 1821, the Spanish flag was lowered and the Stars and Stripes were raised over Florida. Some reports predicted that settlers would "pour in from all parts of the Union to enjoy the advantages so liberally bestowed by nature upon Florida."

The U.S. government experienced several ongoing difficulties with the native Indians. In December 1835, Major Francis Langhorne Dade and 109 of his men were killed by the Seminole Indians while on a routine march from Tampa to Ocala. The attack, known as the Dade Massacre, was prompted by a change in attitude toward the Indians. Indian troubles ended with the Third Indian War that last from 1855 to 1857. Although, by 1860, the name Miami no longer appeared in public records.