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People of the Revolutionary War | Patriots of the American Revolution | The Marquis de Lafayette
The Marquis de Lafayette
1757-1834
French Soldier & Statesman
"Humanity has won its battle, Liberty now
has a country."
- Lafayette
Gilbert du Montier was born on September 6, 1757 in Auvergne, France. His full given name
was Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Montier. His father died when he was 2 years
old, and when his mother and grandfather died 11 year later, he inherited a large fortune.
Lafayette, who came from a long line of solders, studied at the Military Academy in Versailles
and became a captain in the French cavalry at age 16.
In 1777, Lafayette purchased a ship, and with a
crew of adventurers set sail for America to fight in the revolution
against the British. Lafayette joined the ranks as a major general and
was assigned to the staff of George Washington. He served with
distinction, leading America forces to several victories. On a return
visit to France in 1779 Lafayette persuaded the French government to
send aid to the Americans. After the British surrender at Yorktown,
Lafayette returned home to Paris. He had become a hero to the new
nation. At home he cooperated closely with Ambassadors Benjamin
Franklin, and then Thomas Jefferson in behalf of American
interests.
After 1782 Lafayette became absorbed with
questions of reform in France. He was one of the first to advocate a
National Assembly, and worked toward the establishment of a
constitutional monarchy during the years leading up to the French
Revolution of 1791. These efforts cost him much of his support from the
French nobility. As commander of the French National Guard Lafayette was
forced to use force to put down crowd violence. By the 1791 he had lost
most of his popularity with the people.
In 1792 he tried unsuccessfully to curb
radicalism against the monarchy. The King and Queen would not
accept his assistance, and the troops he tried to turn on the Paris mob would not
follow his orders. He was denounced as a traitor and fled the country.
Lafayette returned to France in 1800 and found his personal fortune had
been confiscated. In 1815 he was elected to the Chamber of Deputies. As
one of its vice presidents, he worked for Napoleon's abdication
after the Battle of Waterloo.
Lafayette became a focal point of resistance to
the Bourbon kings. In 1830 be became the leader of a Revolution that
dethroned the Bourbons. He refused the popular demand that he become
president of the new republic, and instead helped make Louis Philippe
the constitutional monarch of France. Just before his death in 1834 he
began to regret his support of Philippe and support the move to a pure
republic in France.
The Marquis de Lafayette
"...Lafayette is a young man of royal birth,
with liberal politics and what Jefferson later called 'a canine appetite for
fame.' Someone said he was 'a statue in search of a pedestal.' But he was
intoxicated with, [had] a rather theoretical love of, liberty. It was theoretical
because liberty wasn't known to many Europeans. [Lafayette] was a great romantic
and he fell in love with America, the concept of America that the French had.
This wild new world where you could start the world over, to use Tom Paine's
phrase."
- Scholar Richard Norton Smith
Lafayette Rewarded For Revolutionary Assist
WASHINGTON (AP) The Marquis de Lafayette, who fought alongside George Washington at
Valley Forge and secured the aid of France during the Revolutionary War, is about to become the sixth
person to receive honorary U.S. citizenship. The House, by a voice vote, on Monday bestowed honorary
citizenship on Lafayette (1757-1834), who, according to the legislation, "gave aid to the United
States in her time of need and is forever a symbol of freedom."
The Senate approved the legislation last December, and it will go to the president for his signature
after the Senate concurs with a change in the House bill to clarify the French aristocrat's full name
Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier. The original Senate bill was introduced by Sen. John
Warner, R-Va.
Congress has previously given honorary citizenship to
Winston Churchill;
Mother Teresa; Raoul Wallenberg, the
Swedish diplomat who helped save thousands of Jews from Nazi death camps in World War II; and
Pennsylvania founder William Penn and his wife, Hannah.
Lafayette arrived in Philadelphia in 1777. He was appointed a major general by the
Continental Congress, was wounded at
Brandywine, shared the winter hardships at Valley Forge and was a key strategist in the
Yorktown campaign that led to the
British surrender.
He also was instrumental in securing French aid for the struggling American forces.
Lafayette was the first foreign dignitary to address Congress, in 1824, and upon his death both the
House and Senate draped their chambers in black.
It was not clear why it took so long to honor Lafayette. But Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., speaking when
the Senate passed the measure, said that "after 200 years, the world has gotten smaller and
our international allies and coalition partners are essential to our long-term success in the
difficult times ahead. We should never forget this nation's friends."
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