by It’s safe to say that after the Hamilton musical Doug and I were both smitten with Lafayette. After listening to the Harlow Giles Unger biography of him, we both had a crush on him. Why hasn’t Lin Manuel written a musical for Lafayette yet? He’s clearly a worthy subject.
Though known as simply “Lafayette” in the United States, his full name was Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier de La Fayette, Marquis de La Fayette. He was insanely popular in the United States for his role in the American Revolution – there are 17 counties named after him and 75 cities, towns and villages. 75! And then there’s the squares, schools, etc.
In 1824, Lafayette was invited to visit the United States to help us celebrate our upcoming 50th anniversary. He arrived in New York in August, whereupon the delighted city embarked on four continuous days and nights of celebrations.
Lafeyette expected a relatively uneventful trip to Boston, but found that every town along the way had organized a welcome. Cities, trying to outdo each other, embarked on building and restoration sprees in order to properly welcome the returning hero. Portraits and monuments were commissioned, and souvenirs were all the rage. Philadelphia’s welcome parade included a military escort included 6,000 men!
Lafayette’s planned four-month visit stretched to 16 months, with him visiting every state (24 at the time). He visited battlefields and historic sites, dined with officials, and set aside time to meet the public. Congress then voted to award him $200,000 (more than $5 million today) in gratitude for his services, along with a large tract of land in Florida.
Thanks to 2024 being the 200th anniversary of the tour, Winterthur (Delaware) had a small exhibit on some of the crazy souvenirs. I was amused to see the number of Lafayette souvenirs made in England! Then a few weeks later we saw some of his letters on display at the Rosenbach Museum and Library (Philadelphia).
