Talking about the spanish contribution, i allways remember this (Wikipedia); "The Action of 9 August 1780" was a naval engagement of the Anglo-Spanish War, in which a Spanish fleet, led by Admiral Luis de Córdova y Córdova, along with a squadron of French ships, encountered a large British convoy. The Spanish and French force captured almost all the British vessels, which dealt a severe blow to the commerce of Great Britain. The British convoy, escorted by HMS Ramillies (74 guns, under Captain Sir John Moutray) and two frigates - Thetis (36 guns) and Southampton (36 guns), sailed from Portsmouth on 27 July. On 9 August, they encountered the Spanish fleet. The Spaniards captured 55 of the 63 British merchant vessels, making it one of the most complete naval captures ever made. The British lost 80,000 muskets, equipment for 40,000 troops, 294 cannons (the normal British troop size during the American Independence War was 40,000 troops), and 3,144 men. The financial impact of the losses were estimated to be around £1,500,000[12] (£1,000,000 in gold and £500,000 - £600,000 in equipment and ships). The action also helped to derail a secret British diplomatic effort to make peace with Spain. The loss was still bitterly remembered in Great Britain 30 years later, at the height of the Napoleonic Wars.
Concerning our Galvez project, for now it has been shelved, put on the back burner sort of to say. We are busy right now with another project about the period I would say that is just as important. So we will see what becomes of GALVEZ, and I see from some efforts made in the past couple of years to produce documentaries on the subject, there is a great need to do one right and with quality production values!
Greetings from Spain. Initially I present my excuses because my English is not as good as I would like, but perhaps my text may be understood. It is well known that Hollywood has been and actually is the biggest dreams factory all over the world, but not only this but also a history library. The United States probably is the only country where two empires with different cultures live together despite their military old encounters, and both countries left a deep trace of their steps through North American lands. Two empires that dominated the world. Spain landed on U.S. in 1513. British did it on 1607. The whole films production of Hollywood is focused only to British inheritance, and it causes that a great part of US citizens has any knowledge about the history of their country, apart from the responsibility of the colleges and universities. What happen in the lands of the actual U.S, between 1513-1607? And I wonder: why Hollywood don't exploit the immense story of the Spanish inheritance? A country that dominated great zones of Europe, America, Africa and Asia. What about the help that Spain gave to the American Revolution? Galvez is only a line of the book. A long list of unknown characters eagerly awaits the arrival of Hollywood researchers, historians and producers who have the courage to deepen in the early roots of the other part of their own history, as well as Universities. And sometimes I wonder: Is or was there any political (or other type) reason to hide the history of the United States Antonio Solano 13rd April
I Know Without Spain The United States Wouldn't have been the Country that it is today even if U.S President Andrew Jackson went and Took Florida From the Spanish as well as the Spanish American War. Overall Spain Deserves the Same Credit. Viva España y Viva Bernardo de Galvez
Excellent talk and I can't wait to read his book. We are in mid development now on a major documentary on Galvez. The trailer film on my RU-vid page is for a previous project, we are working on a whole new one! Many thanks to the Center for Strategic & International Studies for hosting this. Here is a sneak peak at some of the material that will he going into this production, and I will mention that Adams also included Spain in the list of nations who would want to help us, "Some Gentlemen doubted of the Sentiments of France, [ or Spain,] thought She would frown upon Us as Rebels and be afraid to countenance the Example. I replied to these Gentlemen, that I apprehended they had not attended to the relative Situation of France and England. That it was the unquestionable Interest of France that the British continental Colonies should be independent. That Britain by the Conquest of Canada and their naval Triumphs during the last War was now exalted and by her vast Possessions in America and the East Indies, was exalted to a height of Power and Preeminence that France must envy and could not endure. But there was much more than pride and jealousy in the Case. Her Rank, her Consideration in Europe, and even her Safety and Independence was at stake. The Navy of Great Britain was now Mistress of the Seas all over the Globe. The Navy of France almost annihilated. Its Inferiority was so great and obvious, that all the Dominions of France in the West Indies and in the East Indies lay at the Mercy of Great Britain, and must remain so as long as North America belonged to Great Britain, and afforded them so many harbours abounding with Naval Stores and Resources of all kinds and so many Men and Seamen ready to assist them and Man their Ships. That Interest could not lie, that the Interest of France was so obvious, and her Motives so cogent, that nothing but a judicial Infatuation of her Councils could restrain her from embracing Us..." John Adams autobiography, part 1, "John Adams," through 1776 sheet 1 of 53, Ancestry , The Massachusetts Historical Society “Be bold and mighty forces will come to your aid.” ~Goethe Faust Quotes
@tef_newalbionpacifi Spain was just as significant as France if not more so and I would argue more so! Spain paid and funded the Yorktown campaign paying both the French and Continental soldiers who hadn't been paid for several months and years causing several mutinees and also paid and refurbished Degrasse's French fleet allowing Degrasse to travel to both the Chesapeake and later Yorktown which Spain also had a huge role in the military planning which is why the Spanish Ambassador was invited to the Yorktown victory celebration in October of last year 2023! Spain protected French possessions in the Caribbean allowing Degrasse to travel to his destination freely without worry! Spanish General Bernardo de Gálvez was kind and generous enough to release his own French troops under Spanish command and ALLOWED Degrasse to take them to go reinforce Rochambeau at Yorktown! Bernie didn't have to do that but he was very generous! Spain also sent muskets to Saratoga in coordination with the French in 1777! Spain also sent weapons and cannons and supplies to the American Colonies inside French ships from France! So when the ships arrived everyone assumed the entire cargo was only French lol! Huge mistake but understandable! Spain through Diego de Gardoqui sent the very first foreign weapons to Marblehead Massachusetts in February 1775! Spain did so much for American independence!
1:04:23 The Spanish Crown could not afford to threat the English directly and jeopardize its immense kingdom at that time. It just had too much more to loose than the French who had lost their empire to the English already. Neither did the English wanted a front encounter with the Spaniards, as they did not want to repeat the awful experience of Cartagena (1741). Gálvez did contribute to Washington's troops through the Irish-born merchant Oliver Pollock, who provided both - American revolutionists and French with Spanish $$funds$$ from Veracruz to fight the British, as well as all-sort of supplies sent up the Mississippi River from New Orleans where Gálvez was Governor. Ironically a century later, the U.S. finished off the Spanish Empire. Viva la Hispanidad!
Spainp did a lot more than the french, much more money, more than double soldiers, all the supplies from New Spain (Mexico), the victories in the seas, and at land, Mobioe, Batton Rouge, Pensacola, Saint Joseph fort........, even repaired rebel ships in Cuba without any charge, even Washington spy networks were spanish, deeply and firmly set up in the 13 colonies.
Actually the French revolution started because the French went broke after the US war of independence. Spain had a foot on US soil the French did not, It cost them dearly, you are right about the US ending our territories in the American continent. The US was not gratefull of the Spanish help. Maybe the US president then was ignorant and did not know or care to know.
American freedom was obtained with Spanish and French weapons and soldiers, plus, everything else the settlers could give. That’s why I always say, racist people is just ignorant. Spanish involvement was so deep into defending America, that US never supported fully the freedom or liberation of South American countries. There was treaties between Spain and the US. Hence, no support to Bolivar, Miranda, and others was given.
The US did not support it because of that you mentioned, but because at that time England was the leading Anglo-Saxon power in the world and it wanted all the Spanish-American possessions for itself (as happened in the end). England and USA inmediately agreed to divided themselves the America Hispanic (USA the North/Center and England the South). The so-called "Liberators" (rather traitors, racists and slavers) were directly undercover British secret agents who months before (some even almost a whole year) lived in London. Some of them were admitted to the London Chamber of Commerce as "Lords" even (their involvement with the English was even clearer) and as full members of high-grade Masons. Those authentic civil wars in American Spain (they were not wars of independence as today the Anglo-Saxon elite want to sell us to the world) were perpetuated with those traitors through numerous regular troops of the British army who landed in the port of Buenos Aires, taking advantage of the fact that the Spanish Peninsula was at war with Napoleon and could not do anything to help the Spanish population in America (Europeans, mestizos, blacks and indigenous people who made up the population). Spain did not have a real army in Spanish America (only a small real army in Peru). To defend themselves from foreign attacks, volunteer militiamen were recruited from the same populations and indigenous people, especially indigenous who were the ones on whom said defense fell most. Therefore, once the large army of British mercenaries (and some other nationalities) managed to enter the mainland, they were able to conquer the entire territory with blood, fire, destruction, rape and plunder rapidly. Then, once the Spanish Empire was destroyed, to the new countries that England had sent its "Spanish" secret agents (Masons) to divide the different viceroyalties into new smaller, impoverished, weak, manageable and conflicting countries, which dismantled the little industry that was left standing (which before the wars was gigantic) and cut off the gigantic, very rich trade that existed in the Pacific between the Chinese and Indian Empire with Spain in America, which until then accounted for more than 70% of all world trade. Thus England turned the entire former Spanish Empire into its colony and backyard, keeping all its immense resources, gigantic trade, many charts and navigation maps (especially of the Pacific), technologies of all kinds (steam engine technology , infrastructure construction, mining, etc), appropriating them and making it believe from then on that all of this was an English invention and discovery, instead of Spanish (erasing Spain from history and making the world believe that it was a backward nation. But no one who knows how to think with a minimum of good judgment can believe that a nation, whatever it may be, can dominate the world for 3 centuries while being backward, poor, etc. Impossible). Just at that moment, England became the new world hegemonic overnight and began to "revolutionize" the world (thanks in large part to all the enormous resources, gold, silver, currencies, technologies and theoretical and practical knowledge that stole to the Spanish Empire. They always were pirates). Meanwhile, the US did the same with New Spain (Mexico) separating it from the rest of Spain, impoverishing it, weakening it and finally conquering and stealing more than half of its territory, turning the new weak nation of Mexico (previously the richest and most prosperous of the planet) in their colony and backyard, until this very day. Finally, the United States, not content with this great betrayal of the Spanish Empire, after it was Spain that gave it its long-awaited independence against England, betrayed it again for the second time, finishing it off completely by stealing Cuba, Puerto Rico, Philippines and Guaján (now Guam) in a very humiliaty way. The last possessions that an already tremendously weak Spain still had in America and Asia. And today, once again the US betrays Spain by confronting it with Morocco, to finish destroying it even on the Peninsula itself. Concluding... Dealing with the Anglo-Saxons (their elite, not their population, which has nothing to do with it) is like dealing with the devil, you always end up losing because they always end up deceiving and betraying you. They do not comply with what was agreed. The further away you are from them the better. Greetings. PD: Sorry if my English isn´t very well.
But the US tried several time to buy New Spain territory. Ots involvement with internal destruction of independent Mexico and its involvement in the Spanish Carribean and Phillipines. The US inherited much from the British
The problem between peninsular Spain and the new territories of Spain was brewing way before the lost against Napoleon. Many historians fly over Spanish racism, Spanish economic monopoly, Spanish horrible ineffective and unfair bureaucracy. Venezuelan freedom movement was a perfect example of that. Their initial push was to obtain better conditions with the Spanish crown. The Brutality and savagery of Spanish administration is always overlooked.
The problem with what you say is that it is a lie. What happens is that during the wars against Napoleon the English armies that entered the peninsula were also in charge of destroying the factories that were there. Once the war ended in mainland Spain. The English agents who during the war had already maintained contact with the American bourgeois elites who had come to defend Spain, managed to buy several of these leaders and with armies made up entirely of English unleashed the unsolicited independence... which led to the consequences ruins and debts of course. Something similar to what the USA is doing with Ukraine. The founding myth of Venezuela is a traitor who was thrown out of Venezuela itself and who died repenting of his betrayal.
@Theoldboy you obviously are ignorant of your own history, or the history of USA beginnings, MANY spanish troops, that fought on the napoleónic wars, ended fighting during the independence, including Miranda and others, who later on proceed to the liberation of South America. If you think only English people fought for US independence, is because you are ignorant. That’s all. Never a bunch of civilians (US settlers) have defeated a professional well trained army. NEVER. Even George Washington was trained by the English war machine of those days, that’s a fact. French, and spanish troops and other helped a lot in the US independence but the myth of “only us made us free, lives on” but that’s more about politics than real history.
