The Diplomacy of Independence

Presenting more than seventy documents from Spanish archives that provide a rare glimpse into Benjamin Franklin’s connection to Spain. 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 papers to Paris naming him minister to Spain, yet he remained in the French capital where he dealt with Spain’s ambassador to France, the formidable