Symposium “The Spanish Contribution to the Independence of the United States: Between Reform and Revolution (1763-1848)”

Director of the National Portrait Gallery, Mr. Marc Patcher Ambassador Westendorp, Ambassador Eduardo Aguirre, General Sanz Roldán, President of CONACULTA, Mr. Sergio Vela Distinguished Authorities, Ladies and Gentlemen.

It is a great pleasure for me, as Chairman of the Board of the US-Spain Council to be here today at the opening of this Seminar on “the Spanish Contribution to the Independence of the United States”. As you know, the US-Spain Council is a non-government institution whose mission is to strengthen ties in all fields of life (business, culture, education...) between our two nations. An important part of our work in the last few years has been what I would call the “historical dimension”: the greater public awareness –both here and in Spain- of the strong historical ties that bind our two countries; ties that date back, as will be clearly shown today and tomorrow, to the very earliest days of the American Revolution. I would like to thank you for your presence here today. I am sure that the outcome of the discussion of these two days will shed much light on what is still a little known part of the history of the United States of America. The organizers have rightly put the discussions in their proper historical context. The Seminar will debate not only the Spanish military and financial assistance to the American patriots, but also the process of Emancipation of the Spanish territories that bordered the young Republic, as well as the evolution of Hispanic heritage in the United States and its cultural relationship with Latin America. In this regard, I am particularly proud to have so many Mexican friends with us; I would like to emphasize that without their contribution this Seminar would present a quite inadequate and incomplete historical picture. Last year, our Council supported a Seminar in the Royal Academy of History in Madrid which analysed the very first steps of relations between Spain and the United States. Today, in Washington, this Seminar, together with the outstanding "Legacy" which opened yesterday, follows the same path.

The military forces that supported the American Patriots came from Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba and the Dominican Republic. Their help was essential to secure the survival of what was then still a young, weak and unstable republic. At a time when the Hispanic community in the United States is gaining considerable demographic and economic strength, it is important to realize that this, far from being a “new” phenomenon, is a permanent feature of the American Heritage. This is an important lesson that I am sure that we will all learn from our two-day discussion in Washington. I would like once again to congratulate the organizers, and wish every success to the speakers and participants for what I am sure will be a most fruitful event.

Thank you very much.