Roderigue Hortalez and Company facts for kids
_-001.jpg)
Roderigue Hortalez and Company was a secret company started in May 1775. It was created by Luis de Unzaga and organized by Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais. This company secretly helped the American Revolutionaries fight against Britain.
Spain and France, who were enemies of Britain, used this company to send weapons and money to the Americans. They did this before the American Revolutionary War officially began. Beaumarchais was a very talented person. He was a writer, inventor, musician, and even a secret agent.
Contents
Why Was the Company Created?
The Seven Years' War had been very hard on France. France lost almost all its lands in North America. Britain had won and gained a lot of new territory. Spain, a friend of France, also lost Florida.
France and Spain wanted to get back at Britain. They saw a chance when the American colonies started to rebel.
How Pierre Beaumarchais Got Involved
Pierre Beaumarchais was in some legal trouble. To fix this, he offered to help the French king. He wanted to get his civil rights back.
In 1774, Charles Gravier, Comte de Vergennes became France's foreign minister. He really disliked Britain. He once said, "England is the natural enemy of France." Beaumarchais gave him a way to strike back.
How Roderigue Hortalez and Company Operated
Beaumarchais worked as a secret agent. He traveled to London and met Arthur Lee. Lee gave him a letter from the American Continental Congress. The letter suggested that France should secretly help the American rebellion. They wanted military aid disguised as a loan.
Beaumarchais believed that if Britain lost the thirteen colonies, its economy would suffer greatly. King Louis XVI and Vergennes agreed with this idea. However, France and Spain did not want to openly support the Americans. They waited until the rebellion had clearly started.
Secret Shipments to America
Even before the Declaration of Independence was signed, weapons were already being sent. These supplies went through the neutral Dutch island of St. Eustatius.
The company sent many important items. These included muskets, cannons, cannonballs, gunpowder, bombs, mortars, and tents. They even sent enough clothing for 30,000 soldiers. This secret help was very important. It kept the American hopes alive in the spring of 1776.
Problems with Payment
Hortalez & Co. worked with an American merchant named Silas Deane. Deane was secretly involved in trade with Thomas Morris. Another American, Arthur Lee, was not part of this business. Because of this, Lee tried to make sure Beaumarchais would not get paid for the goods he sent. Lee did this to hurt a political rival, not Beaumarchais directly.
As a result of Lee's actions, Silas Deane faced many difficulties. He lived in poverty for years. He died trying to prove that he was owed money.
In a letter from August 16, 1777, Lee wrote about Beaumarchais. He said that Beaumarchais was not a merchant but a political agent for the French King. Lee warned that paying Beaumarchais would make the British suspicious. He also worried that if the money was in Beaumarchais's hands, it might never be recovered.
Who Opposed the Plan?
The main person who opposed this secret plan was the French minister of finance, Baron Turgot. He believed that America would become independent even without France's help.
Turgot argued that funding the rebellion would add to France's already high costs. France was already spending a lot on its military and navy. He warned that this spending could lead to France going bankrupt. Because of his strong disagreement, Turgot eventually resigned from his position.
Images for kids
See also
In Spanish: Roderigue Hortalez y Compañía para niños
