Signed letter by Thomas Jefferson to Juan Nepomonco d’Quesada, Spanish Governor of Florida, Washington, D.C., August 12, 1790.

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As George Washington’s Secretary of State, Thomas Jefferson wrote to Juan Nepomonco d’Quesada on August 12, 1790, shortly after d’Quesada assumed the office of Governor of East Florida. The diplomatic and friendly tone of Jefferson’s letter belies tensions between Spain and the United States, particularly regarding the issues of borders and escaped slaves finding refuge in Spanish territories.

From the Thomas Jefferson Collection.