Inside the Wiencek essay "The Spain Among Us" he explains that the Spanish play a much larger role in our history than the British would lead us to believe. As Whitman said "We Americans have yet to really learn our own antecedents, and sort them,to unify them. They will be found ampler than has been supposed, and in widely different sources. Thus far, impress'd by New England writers and schoolmasters, we tacitly abandon ourselves to the notion that out United States have been fashion"d from the British Islands only,and essentially form a second England only-which is a very great mistake."(Wiencek 1) .

             Throughout the essay, he explains that the Spanish are more a part of our legacy - not just known for the many missions they built. They not only founded many American cities but also started much of the American way of life. For example, the American cowboy lingo such as bronco, chaps, and buckaroo are derived from the Spanish language. A large part of what lies at the heart of the American culture comes from the Spaniards. As Stegner says in Wiencek's essay, "America was discovered by accident and explored to a considerable extent by people trying to find a way to somewhere else."(Wiencek 2) .

             Columbus may have been the first English man to find America but Wiencek conveys that as American's, we should realize how much of our culture is really based on Spanish contributions. Even the name "California" originated from the Spanish "Califia". Florida was one of the last territories inhabited by Americans because for nearly three centuries it was owned by Spain. The Spanish were also the first to pose questions about colonization and why it was acceptable for the Europeans to just walk in and take the land from Native Americans for no real reason. Wiencek also discusses how many of the Spanish exploited the Indians and took advantage of them but on the other hand some Spanish were appalled by this and tried to make it better.