The Gilder Lehrman Institute Partners with the Queen Sofía Spanish Institute to Teach the History of Spain's Role in Shaping the United States

New York, NY, March 17, 2023—The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History (GLI) today signed an agreement with the Queen Sofía Spanish Institute (QSSI) ensuring that schools in the Institute’s Affiliate School network will learn about the significant role of Spain in the history and independence of the United States.

GLI and QSSI have collaborated on creating teaching materials, which include posters sent to more than 6,000 K–12 schools nationwide. These posters highlight primary source documents that demonstrate Spanish support for the United States during the American Revolution. The mission of QSSI, founded in New York in 1954, is to publicize the contributions of Spain to the history and development of the United States, as well as to celebrate the cultures of the Spanish-speaking world.

Additional pedagogical materials will be distributed by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History throughout its network of 34,000 Affiliate Schools, representing 82,000 teachers and 10.7 million students.

At today’s ceremony in Madrid, Spain—which Queen Sofía herself attended—the president of the Gilder Lehrman Institute, Professor James G. Basker, said, “Such a partnership is logical, beneficial, and long overdue, when one thinks of the many ways in which the histories of Spain and the United States have intertwined over the years, and especially the many ways that Hispanic people have been—and continue to be—central to the American story.”

MEDIA CONTACT

The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
Josh Landon
Director of Marketing and Communications
(646) 366-9666 x137
landon@gilderlehrman.org