Lafayette’s Arrival
On June 13, 1777, the 19 year old Marquis de Lafayette arrived near Georgetown, South Carolina on a ship. No one knew who this man was. No one knew that this would not be the only time this strange guy came to America on a ship. There was no fanfare, contrary to his other visits, no nothing. He slipped into the night as quietly as he came. The colonies were still just colonies fighting for their independence; nothing changed overnight. Yet when the sun rose again the next day, there was a new addition to this land. A young Frenchman, a boy even, too enthusiastic for his own good, who is about to change everything.
Journey to Congress
So Lafayette sets off, giddy with all sorts of promises of glory and victory to Congress in Philadelphia (spoiler: this is also the path we’ll be tracing! see more about this on the homepage and Events page) But when he knocked on their front door, they told him they have no need for another inexperienced French officer.
Lafayette did not let that crush his American dream however. After enduring months of getting seasick on the ship and all that hassle to come here without permission from the king, he’s not going back.
Much to his delight, after he stated that he will not only serve without pay but he will literally pay them and with all the powerful connections he have back in France, they accepted him.
Lafayette is now officially part of the team!
Not Just Another Visit
On June 13, 2027, the 19 year old Marquis de Lafayette will arrive near Georgetown, South Carolina, on a ship. This is certainly not the first time, and it will not be the last.
This is the 250th time.
That calls for a celebration.
If you saw the bicentennial celebration of his return in 1824 and 25, don’t expect anything less. We will be retracing his footsteps from his arrival in South Carolina all the way up north to Philadelphia, Brandywine, and Valley Forge. The way he came and the first few battles he fought.
If you, by any chance, were caught up in one of the massive parades during the bicentennial, you might have wondered why. Why bother doing all this for some dead French guy?
We celebrate Lafayette for everything he has done for this country. All his support during the War of Independence and the Franco-American Alliance. Without him, there will not be the foundation for this country that was built up upon by future generations. France was America’s first ally, and Lafayette made it happen.
Lafayette brought the country together again and again wherever he went, so these thirteen colonies are not just colonies but a united country because we unite in celebrating him. He believed in a future for these rebelling colonies, even when they themselves did not. He came for the ideas of liberty and freedom and stayed to make America a better place. What Jefferson wrote in the declaration, ‘all men are created equal,’ he believed that. He was an abolitionist, an advocate for the rights of women and religious freedom, and a friend of the Native Americans; he is everything he believed this country could and should be.
We commemorate the 250th anniversary of the first time he stepped on American soil because this is where it all started. This is our history, and we get to live it again.
Vive Lafayette!
AFL Board of Governors
President: Alan Hoffman
Executive Director: Chuck Schwam
Vice President: Robert Kelly
Treasurer/Secretary: Bonnie Fritz
Curator: Diane Shaw
Membership Chair: Lisa Meunier
Social Media Outreach: Mackenzie Fowler
Social Media Coordinator: Kat Smith
At-large Members of the Board of Governors:
Jerry Meekins
Jan O’Sullivan Mackenzie Fowler
Patti Maclay Lisa Meunier
Frank Womble Hank Parfitt
Bob Kelly