Revolutionary Diplomacy
Spanish Connections and the Birth of the United States
Thomas E. Chávez
Series:
Uncovering the decisive role of Spanish diplomacy in securing American independence
Without Spanish assistance, the thirteen American colonies could not have achieved their independence from the British crown. Alongside the more widely known contributions of France, Spanish men, material, and—most important—diplomatic muscle played a decisive role in the American Revolution.
Using Benjamin Franklin as a guide through the European halls of power, celebrated scholar Thomas Chávez details the tense exchanges, successes, and failures of America’s crucial collaboration with Spain during our War for Independence. The Spanish were responsible for driving the British from west Florida, and cities such as Galveston, Texas (named for Bernardo de Gálvez), still testify to the depths of Americans’ gratitude.
Chávez also introduces readers to Franklin’s fellow American envoys Silas Deane, Arthur Lee, John Jay, and Robert Morris, recounting their dramatic negotiations with the Count of Vergennes, the Count of Aranda, and the Count of Floridablanca at the Spanish court. As Chávez shows, the diplomatic exchanges between the Continental Congress and the Spanish king, made through these pivotal intermediaries, expanded a colonial rebellion into a world war.
- William and Mary QuarterlyFor anyone—including students—who does not yet know the vital role that Spain played in the American Revolution, Chávez’s book offers an excellent overview. For anyone who thinks they already do, there is still much to learn here about the ins and outs of Spanish involvement in the birth of the United States. Although Chávez is primarily concerned with the Spanish, Revolutionary Diplomacy is an important addition to a growing list of titles concerned with the revolution’s global reach.
There is no other work to my knowledge dedicated, as this book is, to the crucial subject of Spanish diplomacy during the American Revolution. Chavez has made a important contribution.- Gonzalo M. Quintero Saravia, author of Bernardo de Gálvez: Spanish Hero of the American Revolution
Spain is often given short shrift in the diplomatic history of the American Revolution. This work by Thomas Chávez is a first. His research into Spanish-language archives — both state and private — uncovers a completely unknown side to the Spanish-American diplomatic exchange, replete with fantastic details deeply revealing of the motives of the Spanish crown. An important contribution to the literature.- Larrie D. Ferreiro, George Mason University, Pulitzer Prize-finalist author of Brothers at Arms: American Independence and the Men of France and Spain Who Saved It.
- The Journal of Arizona HistoryChávez’s short, yet detailed book is an insightful and important work for anyone interested in knowing the inner workings of U.S.–Spanish (and French) relations during the Revolutionary War. His use of Spanish archival materials is truly impressive and gives readers a new lens through which to view the American Revolution. Chávez convincingly demonstrates that any list of major American victories during the Revolutionary War should include not just Saratoga and Yorktown, but also Paris and Madrid.
Thomas E. Chávez is the former director of the National Hispanic Cultural Center, Albuquerque, the author of more than a dozen books, and a Corresponding Member of Spain's Real Academia de la Historia.
