On the occasion of the third centenary of Benjamin Franklin's birth, the Rafael del Pino Foundation, in collaboration with the Spain-United States Council Foundation and the Royal Academy of History, organised a series of conferences entitled "The Spanish Enlightenment in the Independence of the United States: Benjamin Franklin", which was held from 11 to 19 May at the headquarters of the Royal Academy of History.
The attractive personality of Benjamin Franklin, who in his day was appointed in Spain as a member of the Royal Academy of History in recognition of his humanistic and scientific achievements, brought together a group of prestigious American, British and Spanish historians to present their knowledge of a historical period that had been almost forgotten on both sides of the Atlantic. This was a crucial moment, both in European relations - where the alliance between the two Bourbon dynasties of France and Spain undoubtedly played an important role - and in America, where the war of emancipation of the English colonies played a decisive role in the vicissitudes of Anglo-Spanish rivalry, At the beginning of the rebellion, this trump card was played only in the field of diplomacy and hidden aid, but after the declaration of war it led to several victories by Spanish naval and military forces and the recovery of part of the territories ceded to the enemy in previous battles.
The leading authorities in the knowledge of this historical period shared their research work on such fascinating subjects as Spain's secret aid to the rebels, the state of finances in the administration of Charles III as a result of that aid, Hispanic urban expansion in North America, and the role played by Spanish businessmen, such as the banker Diego de Gardoqui, in the supply of arms, clothing and provisions to the American revolutionary troops. Undoubtedly, the multifaceted and endearing character of Benjamin Franklin has served as a connecting link to this mosaic of events and colourful characters that had a decisive impact on the future of continental relations.
Among the eminent historians who took part in these conferences were the following:
- Gonzalo Anes (Director of the Royal Academy of History), Benjamín Franklin en la Europa de las luces;
- John Elliott (Regius Professor Emeritus of Modern History at Oxford University), Two Empires in Crisis, 1756-1783;
- Felipe Fernández-Armesto (Professor of History, HRH Prince of Asturias Chair, Tufts University, Boston), Atlantic Revolutions: their consequences in the Anglo-Saxon and Hispanic spheres;
- David J. Weber (Robert and Nancy Dedman Professor of History and Director of the William P. Clements Center for Southwest Studies at Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas), Spain in North America in the late eighteenth century: innovative policies and inevitable losses;
- Guillermo Céspedes (Academician of the Royal Academy of History), La Independencia de las colonias inglesas y su proyección en la América virreinal;
- Miguel Ángel Ochoa Brun (Academician of the Royal Academy of History), The Founding Fathers of the United States and Spain.
The final result of this series of conferences was the book "La ilustración española en la independencia de los Estados Unidos" in the Colección Historia de la Fundación Rafael del Pino, published in 2007.
