The history of the United States includes a number of names and events that are little known among the general public and are directly related to the significant legacy of Hispanics in this country.  The Hispanic history of the U.S. was forged by courageous figures such as Soto, Ponce de León, Coronado, Menéndez de Avilés and many others.  It is time to highlight the events and honor the people who contributed to our rich culture and to explain the importance of the Spanish, and by extension, Hispanic role in the history of the United States.

George Washington himself recognized the Spanish contribution when he wrote to King Carlos III of Spain after the War of Independence to thank him for the aid he had received from Spain during the fight for freedom.  Washington was well aware that the Spanish Crown held a vast amount of territory throughout the Americas, from Patagonia to Alaska, and that the Spanish had been present in the New World for centuries.  Washington understood that not only had Spanish explorers and missionaries shed their blood and made great sacrifices during those years, but that Spain had also contributed money and manpower to the American Revolution.  The revolt against the British Crown was possible thanks, in part, to the funds sent by Spain and the participation of the Spanish in the New World.   There were Spanish settlements from Mexico to Alaska, including many in what are today the states of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California, to name just a few.  Spain clandestinely helped the colonists until war was formally declared on England in June, 1779.  This aid began before the promulgation of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.  The Spanish Count of Aranda met with Benjamin Franklin, Silas Dean and Arthur Lee at the Continental Congress and gave his total support to the colonialists’ cause.  Spain then made use of its territories in Cuba, Mexico, Santo Domingo and Puerto Rico to join forces with the colonists against the English.

In the silenced history of the Spanish role in the American struggle for independence, we find a generally unknown Spanish soldier named Bernardo de Gálvez (1746-1786).  His valor on the battlefield in the Lower Mississippi basin was pivotal to General Washington’s ultimate victory.  In addition to the Mississippi campaign, Gálvez’s conquest of Western Florida was a masterpiece of military strategy which advanced the cause of the American colonists’ fight for independence.  Even before Spain became officially involved in the war with the English, Gálvez had already provided assistance to the American patriots. He corresponded directly with Patrick Henry, Thomas Jefferson and Charles Henry Lee and met with their personal emmisaries, Oliver Pollack and Capitan George Gibson.  In these meetings, Gálvez agreed to help secure the New Orleans harbor.

In addition to diplomatic and economic aid to the colonists, Gálvez also provided military assistance in many skirmishes with the English from Florida to Louisiana and all along the Gulf Coast.  In his role as Governor of Lousiana, Gálvez was a strong ally for Washington and his troops.  He worked clandestinely from New Orleans to support the colonists’ struggle and fought alongside them in battles in what are today Florida, Alabama, Louisiana and Texas.  He gave material support to those fighting to the west of the Alleghany Mountains and was able to block English access to the Mississippi.  All of these efforts contributed greatly to the success of the Revolution.

In the years 1776-1779, Spain gave the colonists some 8 million reales to cover military, medical and general supplies.   In September 1776, Spain shipped 9,000 pounds of gun powder up the Mississippi to the northern colonies and another 1,000 pounds to Philadelphia.  In November, Gálvez gathered strategic information on the English and in December petitioned the Spanish Crown for more aid to the colonists.

The three letters that Patrick Henry wrote to Gálvez between October 1777 and January 1778 in which he repeatedly thanked him for his assistance are convincing proof of Spain’s tremendous support of the colonists’ cause.   In the summer of 1779, Spain declared war against England and Gálvez quickly became key to Washington’s interests, achieving significant victories in the South at places such as Fort Butte, Baton Rouge and Natchez.   In November 1779, Thomas Jefferson wrote Gálvez a letter of appreciation.

In early 1780, Gálvez retook Mobile and in May of 1781, Pensacola fell.  Three months later, Washington toasted the kings of France and Spain in the Robert Morris residence in Philadelphia.  After the surrender of Yorktown in October 1781, Washington himself wrote a letter to King Carlos III of Spain thanking him for the aid and support he had received from the Spanish crown.  In the colonists’ victory parade, Gálvez rode alongside Washington, proof of the important role Spain had played in the fight for independence of the United States.

Any reasonable historian today recognizes that without the help of Spain in the southern part of what is today the United States, the English would have defeated the colonists and brought the great American Revolution to an end.  This is why in 1784 the Congress of the United States formally thanked Gálvez and Spain for the aid and support they provided.  Gálvez died in Mexico in 1786, one year after being appointed Viceroy of New Spain.  His life and his accomplishments are an example of the many little known elements of the great legacy of Hispanics in the United States.

Newt Gingrich is a Former Speaker of the House of Representatives in the U.S. Congress.  Alberto Acereda is a Professor at Arizona State University.