III America&Spain250 Symposium: Spain and the American Revolution along the Mississippi River

This symposium is presented by the Queen Sofía Spanish Institute (QSSI) and the Historic New Orleans Collection (HNOC) in partnership with Fundación Ramón Areces (FRA) and Fundación Reina Sofía. This will be the third symposium in QSSI’s America&Spain250 initiative and a cornerstone event at HNOC to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the nation’s founding.

Featuring distinguished scholars from both sides of the Atlantic, the symposium will offer a rigorous and engaging exploration of Spanish Louisiana’s strategic, social, and cultural role during the American Revolution.

In addition to academic lectures at The Historic New Orleans Collection, the program will include cultural experiences in some of New Orleans’ most emblematic historic settings, including St. Louis Cathedral and the Cabildo.

The symposium is produced in collaboration with the Cultural Office of the Embassy of Spain in the United States, the Consulate General of Spain in Houston, St. Louis Cathedral, and the Louisiana State Museum.

The symposium will be held on:

- Friday, September 25 in the afternoon at the St. Louis Cathedral 

- Saturday, September 26 all activities will be held at the Historic New Orleans Collection's auditorium.

All events including academic lectures will be free and open to the public with registration required for each part of the symposium (opening, morning, afternoon...)  and a separate registration for the lunch on Saturday (see more details in the agenda below).

Because capacity may vary by venue and session, guests are asked to register separately for each portion of the symposium they plan to attend.

PROGRAM*:

Friday, September 25  | St. Louis Cathedral, 615 Pere Antoine Alley

5 p.m. Welcome remarks

5:30 p.m. Louisiana in the Spanish Empire | Dr. Frances Kolb Turnbell, University of North Alabama

6 p.m. Spanish New Orleans: An Imperial City on the American Periphery, 1766–1803 | Dr. John Eugene Rodriguez, author

Saturday, September 26  | Williams Research Center, 410 Chartres Street

Morning Session:

9:30 a.m. Spanish Louisiana’s Strategic Importance for the War | Dr. Rafael Torres Sánchez, Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain

10 a.m. The Expedition Against the English Fort of St. Joseph, Near Lake Michigan | Manuel Trillo, ABC Madrid

10:30 a.m. Break

11 a.m. The Mississippi Campaign of Bernardo de Gálvez | Stephen L. Kling, author

11:30 a.m. Questions and answers with the morning’s speakers

12:00 p.m. Optional activity: TBD (additional fee) or Lunch (on your own)

Afternoon Sessions:

2:30 p.m. Comparative Slavery Legal Regulations (French, British, Spanish) | Dr. Jane Landers, Vanderbilt University

3 p.m. Relations Spain – Native Peoples | Dr. Andrew K. Frank, Florida State University

3:30 p.m. The Creole Vicereine: Felicitas St. Maxent de Gálvez | Gonzalo M. Quintero Saravia, PhD, SJD

4 p.m. Questions and answers with the afternoon’s speakers

4:20 p.m. Break

Closing Session:

5 p.m. Erasure and Recovery | Dr. Richard L. Kagan, Johns Hopkins University

5:45 p.m. Closing remarks

*This schedule is subject to change. Please check the website for updates before the event.