Spain was involved in the American Revolution? This is the typical response I get when I mention the American Revolution in the Mississippi Valley and on the Gulf Coast. Similar is the response to the question: Louisiana was part of the Spanish Empire? Thankfully, recent scholarship and efforts to celebrate America 250 are beginning to improve awareness of Spain’s contributions to the American Revolution as well as of the American Revolution in the West.

As we commemorate America 250, much attention has been rightfully granted the Declaration of Independence. One often overlooked objective of the Declaration has to do with diplomacy. Members of the Second Continental Congress recognized that they needed international support for any real chance in waging a successful war against the greatest empire of the time, Great Britain. In declaring independence and articulating their grievances, the United States became its own actor on the world’s stage, able to negotiate diplomatically with France and Spain, each of which was desirous of revenge against Britain after humiliations in the Seven Years’ War. The United States could not have secured independence without the help of France and Spain. Our lack of attention to the aid of Spain in particular connects also with an under-appreciation for the American Revolution in the West.

On March 6–7, 2026, scholars and lovers of history gathered at Nunez Community College in Chalmette, Louisiana, to explore these very themes at a symposium called “Colonial Louisiana and Spanish Contributions to the American Revolution.” Thomas Chávez brought to life the scope of Spain’s global involvement in war with Britain. No one else is better poised to do so than Chávez, who has shaped our understanding of Spanish diplomacy during the war.[1] Steve Kling took us on the journey of Gálvez’s too often forgotten Mississippi Campaign of 1779, of which he is the leading expert.[2] Tim Seiter discussed the often misunderstood Texas–Louisiana cattle connection of the Revolutionary era.[3] Kristine Sjostrom, the pre-eminent historian of Fernando de Leyba, the lieutenant governor of Upper Louisiana who saw to the defenses of the St. Louis area, reminded us of the complicated theatre of revolutionary conflict in Upper Louisiana.[4]

Very few people have done as much as Steve Kling for the study of the American Revolution in the West. In 2021, he opened an exhibit, “The American Revolutionary War in the West,” at the St. Charles County Historical Society in St. Charles, Missouri, and edited a volume by the same name that is a collection of articles. Here, for the first time in one place, Kling offers a careful look at the major military events of the Mississippi Valley during the American Revolution.[5] Kling has also begun to fill in gaps to the war in the West, such as the question of cavalry west of the Appalachians and a consideration of the colorful character James Colbert.[6]

Bernardo de Gálvez served as governor of Louisiana and oversaw major action on the Gulf Coast during the war. He is pictured here as viceroy of New Spain, a post he held after the war. From Wikimedia Commons.

Perhaps most impressively, Kling is the guest curator for the groundbreaking exhibit “Gálvez and Louisiana in the American Revolution,” at the Louisiana State Museum at the Cabildo. Happily, this wonderful exhibit is open until May 2027. Here, in the former seat of the Spanish city government, is an exhibit dedicated to Spanish Louisiana’s involvement in the American Revolution, complete with recently created maps of quality and detail that have never been seen before in the scholarship related to the American Revolution on the Gulf Coast Campaigns and the Mississippi. Documents, period clothing, weaponry, portraits of important historical actors are masterfully assembled in such a way as to tell the rich and detailed story of Gálvez and Louisiana in the American Revolution. The exhibit showcases the participation in the war of Louisiana’s diverse inhabitants, including its multilingual, multi-ethnic, and multi-racial militia. The exhibit highlights the participation of the free Black militia of New Orleans as well as the important role of the numerous Native peoples of Louisiana to the war.

This map captures the plan of the city of New Orleans in 1770. From the Library of Congress.

The exhibit connects nicely with other scholarship as well. There is something for everyone in the study of Spain’s involvement in the war and the period in which Louisiana was in fact part of the Spanish Empire, 1763–1800. My own book, Spanish Louisiana: Contest for Borderlands 1763–1803 offers a broader understanding of context of the war on the Gulf Coast and the significance of the Spanish era to the history of Louisiana and the late-eighteenth-century West. It argues that during the American Revolution, Spain’s goal for the way Louisiana should function in its empire was achieved. As it longed for revenge against Britain for humiliations suffered during the Seven Years’ War, Spain hoped to launch an attack against British West Florida from the former French colony. To do this, Spain had to harness the loyalty of the colonists. At the dawn of Spain’s involvement in the American Revolution, the interests of the various groups inhabiting Louisiana fostered loyalty to Spain and cooperation with Spain’s projects during the war. Michael Nolden Henderson, who also spoke at the Chalmette symposium, takes the approach of genealogy in his book Got Proof! My Genealogical Journey Through the Use of Documentation, a family story that offers a journey into colonial Louisiana with Michael as he uncovers the stories of his ancestors. His ancestor, Agnes Mathieu, who bought her freedom in 1780, is featured in the Cabildo exhibit.[7] To talk of Louisiana colonial history, especially in the Spanish period, is a chance to appreciate the richness of Louisiana’s cultural heritage, something that heritage scholar Elista Istre brings to her audiences and shares with museums. She is also the author of Creoles of Louisiana.[8]

Spain’s decisive victory against Britain at Pensacola eliminated the British threat to the United States on the Gulf Coast. From the Library of Congress.

Authors have also remembered the children as we celebrate America 250 and Spain’s role in the Revolution. Liz Duffy Strassner and Barabara Middleton Wiley have created a beautiful workbook and coloring book for school-age children, American Independence: The Spanish Secret. This carefully crafted resource walks children through the story of the Revolution from the perspective of Spanish Louisiana, introducing them to the many different historical figures important to that story. Whether they live in Louisiana or not, this book will allow children to see the international scope of the Revolution, broaden their ideas about where the war took place, and allow them to meet and connect with a number of diverse historical figures who bring these realities to life.

America 250 is a great opportunity to explore the breadth and depth of the story of the American Revolution and to appreciate its scope at the international level as well as at the local one. It is my hope that these endeavors and those of many others associated with honoring America 250 this year will expand the horizons of regular Americans, lay historians, and scholars alike.

Endnotes

[1] Thomas Chávez is the author of Spain and the Independence of the United States: An Intrinsic Gift (Albuquerque, NM, 2004); The Diplomacy of Independence: Benjamin Franklin Documents in the Archives of Spain (Philadelphia, 2024); and Revolutionary Diplomacy: Spanish Connections and the Birth of the United State (Charlottesville, VA, 2025).

[2] Steven L. Kling Jr., An Underappreciated Victory: Bernardo de Gálvez’s Mississippi River Campaign Against the British in 1779 (St. Louis, MO, 2026).

[3] Timothy Seiter, Wrangling Pelicans: Military Life in Texas Presidios (Austin, TX, 2025).

[4] Kristine L. Sjostrom, Fernando de Leyba (1734–1780): A Life of Service and Sacrifice in Spanish Louisiana (independently published, 2022).

[5] Steven L. Kling Jr., The American Revolutionary War in the West (St. Louis, MO, 2021).

[6] Kling, Cavalry in the Wilderness: Cavalry in the Western Theater of the American Revolutionary War and the French and Indian War (St, Louis, MO, 2021) and James Colbert and His Chickasaw Legacy (St. Louis, MO, 2022).

[7] Michael Nolden Henderson, Got Proof! My Genealogical Journey Through the Use of Documentation (Suwanee, GA, 2016).

[8] Elista Istre, Creoles of South Louisiana: Three Centuries Strong (Lafayette, LA, 2018). She also has a beautiful children’s book Josette and Friends Cook Gumbo (Lafayette, LA, 2023).