Iberdrola sponsors an academic conference in Madrid for the Mount Vernon’s National Library for the Study of George Washington

The Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association was in Madrid, Spain, in September 2022, for a two-day academic conference exploring the connections between Spain and the founding of the United States.

The event included an opening night gala dinner and a five-day tour of Madrid and surrounding environs, visits to Museo Naval and the Museo del Ejército at Toledo.

A special reception by H.M. The King Felipe VI and another by The Hon. Julissa Reynosso, U.S. Ambassador to Spain, were held for the participants.

The conference “Spain and the Global Struggle for United States Independence” was organized by Mount Vernon’s Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington, with consultation from its academic partner, Universidad Complutense, Madrid. The academic co-chairs for this conference were Dr. Kevin Butterfield, Executive Director of the Washington Library; Stephen Mc Leod, Director, Library Programs; and Gonzalo M. Quintero Saravia, author of Bernardo de Gálvez’s biography.

The conference explored the important role of Spain in the age of the American Revolution and in the early years of the new United States. It brought together historians from both sides of the Atlantic to examine the wars for empire, contests for territory, and the Enlightenment-era political ideas that shaped so much of the eighteenth century as well as the important legacy of Spain’s decision to declare war onGreat Britain in 1779. Following this focus, the conversation extended to the ongoing diplomatic and cultural relationships between the two nations, from the presidency of George Washington to our own time.

On Thursday, September 22, welcome words were given by Douglas Bradburn, President and CEO, George Washington´s Mount Vernon; and by Rafael Orbegozo, Adviser to the Chairman´s Office, Iberdrola. José M. Guerrero Acosta, Curator of the project Unveiling Memories, Iberdrola, took part as speaker the same day with the conference “The Impact of the Contribution of Spain to the U.S. War for Independence.”

The academic conference was sponsored by Iberdrola.