The Hispanic Influence in the American Revolution

As part of the 'November Fall Training Month,' the Association of Philadelphia Tour Guides (APT) has organized a Zoom presentation with Juan Rivera-Mata, PhD, who will join live from Spain to talk about his great passion: The Hispanic Influence in the American Revolution. The talk will be November 22, 11 am - 12:30 pm, $10 payable in the APT Store ('Special Event: member, zoom' button - one price for members and non-members.) The presentation will be recorded and sent to everyone who registers, so those who would like to watch but are not able to attend can still pay for the event and watch the recording afterwards.

American history traditionally has been taught East to West, starting with the Mayflower, but at that time the South already had Hispanic cities. The United States as a country was fundamentally created South to North and the Hispanic influence was there since 1513 (1493 in Puerto Rico). We will review Hispanic influence in the period 1513-1776, particularly during the American Revolution, and then take a quick look at the present relevance of the Hispanic “minority” in the U.S.

We will focus on the Revolutionary pre/post 1776 period, taking a global perspective of the conflict among the 3 superpowers (Spain, France, and England). We will finish focusing specifically on Hispanic people, places, and events in Philadelphia during the American Revolution. The presentation will not be “scholarly,” but practical and focused on understanding Hispanic relevance before, during, and after the American Revolution and how guides can develop products/ services/ narratives accordingly.

We hear a lot about the French contribution to the Revolutionary war effort - now let's hear from the Spanish! Please join us for this rare opportunity to learn about a lesser known but very important topic. A day or two before the event, the Zoom link will be sent to all those who register.