The Diplomacy of Independence
Thomas E. Chávez, an historian and Research Associate Professor of the Latin American and Iberian Institute of the University of New Mexico, will present his latest research project, The Diplomacy of Independence: Benjamin Franklin Documents in the Archives of Spain, at the Instituto Cervantes Albuquerque. The book analyzes more than seventy documents from Spanish colonial-era archives and gives modern readers a rare glimpse into Benjamin Franklin's connections with Spain.
Silvia Rodríguez Grijalba, Director of Instituto Cervantes Albuquerque and El Paso, will welcome the audience and introduce Thomas E. Chávez. Subsequently, Dr. Chávez will discuss the book alongside a panel of experts, which will include: Frances Hayashida, Director of the Latin American and Iberian Institute, University of New Mexico (moderator); Celia López-Chávez, historian and Emerita Professor, Honors College, University of New Mexico; Genoveva Enríquez Macías, researcher and consultant specializing in 18th-century American and Spanish history; Patricia Kurz, former Consul of Mexico in New Mexico, Political, Commercial, and Cultural Affairs; and Russ Davidson, Emeritus Curator, Latin American and Iberian Collections, University of New Mexico.
Summary of the book: Although Benjamin Franklin never set foot in Spain, from 1774 until his death in 1790, he maintained contact and correspondence with a wide range of Spanish officials and intellectuals. As a diplomat, Franklin carried documents to Paris naming him Minister to Spain, but he remained in the French capital where he interacted with Spain’s Ambassador to France, the formidable Count of Aranda. From Franklin’s gift exchange with Don Felipe Bourbon, the King of Spain’s third son, to his induction into Spain’s Royal Academy of History, The Diplomacy of Independence explores an aspect of Franklin’s life previously overlooked, despite being documented in Spanish colonial-era archives.
Biography of Thomas E. Chávez: Thomas E. Chávez is an historian with a Ph.D. from the University of New Mexico. He has published numerous book reviews, articles, and twelve books, three of which have been published in translation in Spain. Two of the latter books are Spain and the Independence of the United States: An Intrinsic Gift and Manuel Alvarez, 1794-1856: A Southwestern Biography. Among his many awards is the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution “Distinguished History Award” and the University of New Mexico Alumni Association “Zia Award.” He has been recognized in Spain with the first “El Premio Fundación de Xavier de Salas,” the “Orden Isabel la Católica” with the grade of “Encomienda,” and, most recently voted a “Corresponding” member of Spain’s Real Academia de Historia. Dr. Chávez is currently a Research Associate Professor for the University of New Mexico’s Latin American and Iberian Institute.
