A 55 millas por hora

Fifty-five miles per hour is the speed limit on U.S. back roads—routes that wind through remote towns and allow one to savor the scenery. At this leisurely pace, Guillermo Fesser embarks on a journey to uncover North America’s deep Hispanic roots, leading him to a surprising conclusion: without the Hispanic contribution, the United States would never have achieved independence. Here, Fesser recovers scattered pages that were once torn from the book of history. He recounts episodes set in places as unexpected as Memphis—back when it still appeared on maps as Fort San Fernando de las Barrancas—and reveals little-known facts, such as the story of the first settler on Manhattan Island: an Afro-Hispanic man named Juan Rodríguez who arrived from Santo Domingo in 1613, predating the Dutch arrival by many years. *At 55 Miles Per Hour* invites you to visit Boston Harbor at a time when nine out of every ten coins circulating in the thirteen British Atlantic colonies were Spanish silver pesos bearing the likeness of Charles III. It also takes you into the Oval Office as President William McKinley signs a check for three hundred million dollars, hoping to purchase Cuba from Spain.