“We Do Not Forget” Spain: Historical Memory, Foreign Relations, and Human Rights in the American Classroom

Volume 50 Issue 1

Author(s):

Tyler Goldberger - Independent Scholar / Maggie L. Walker Governor's School (Richmond, VA)

Recommended Citation:

Goldberger, Tyler (2026) “‘We Do Not Forget” Spain: Historical Memory, Foreign Relations, and Human Rights in the American Classroom,” Bulletin for Spanish and Portuguese Historical Studies: Vol. 50 : Iss. 1 , Roundtable 2.

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Abstract:

My paper explores pedagogical lesson plans incorporating Spain into modern US History survey courses through historical memory, foreign relations, and human rights frameworks. The mythic illusion that the 1898 Spanish-American War forever ruptured relations between these two nations suggests that Spain disappeared from global consciousness. However, discussing the role of the 2,800 Americans, known as the Abraham Lincoln Brigade, who traveled to Spain during the Spanish Civil War to fight in integrated units against fascism, illustrates that Spain was on the forefront of many American minds. It also contextualizes political polarization between right-wing fascism and left-wing liberalism in the 1930s. By extending the story of the Brigaders through the twentieth century, students witness the consequences of anti-communist hysteria, as Americans who advocated for an anti-fascist Spain had their civil liberties restricted during McCarthyism. By the 1960s, these Brigaders became some of the most outspoken anti-Vietnam War activists. These Americans, among others covered during this session, illuminate how Spain belongs in US History classrooms, enriching, challenging, and inspiring students’ previous understanding of the twentieth century.

Tags: historical memory, twentieth century, US-Spain relations