and fight for freedom, to uphold the cause of liberty. for we stand ever in the grace of your divine protection. and while, yes, americans 200 years ago returned their hearts to the marquis de lafayette on this day, and always would we be so grateful that we return our hearts to you in your sovereign name. we pray. amen. ladies and gentlemen, this concludes the ceremony. thank you for joining us today.

all right. so welcome, everybody, my name is elizabeth. for the next hour and a half or so, i will be guiding you through the streets of alexandria. commemorate the national tour of the marquis de lafayette yet returned to america in 1824 for the first time in 40 years. just a couple. before we get started, i want to make we stay together. we don't have a super huge group of what we should together. if you need me to like, slow down, you can yell. it's fine. i won't get that. watch your step. where? walking right now. these brick sidewalks, the uneven sidewalks. alexandria. we'll be walking some residential areas. we just want to make sure we're mindful of residents property and their privacy. we don't want to be like window but feel free to take as many pictures, videos as you want and feel free to ask any questions. if uncomfortable asking a question. this whole like microphones set

up, i turn it off and we walk from place to place. so that's a really question. we'll be stopping at six stops, including this. and the route is about a mile largely flat, slightly incline. we walk up king street and we'll be ending at gatsby's tavern and there's about two and a half flights of stairs at that point. once we ended gatsby's, you are welcome to stay at gatsby's and roam around the museum as you'd like and we'll go over some more like museum before we go inside there. so the marquis de lafayette returns to america for the first time in 40 years and from august of 1824 to september of 1825, he was the hero of the american revolution. at the age of 19, he heard about the revolution. he sailed across the ocean and knocked on the door of congress and said, i'm here to help congress. said, who are you? and shut the door to safe because he was not the only french man with looking to help

most other people i most at the frenchmen we're looking for title and money. he was in his own words here to learn not teach and this sort of humility is what him the trust of george washington was initially unimpressed with his inexperience. the two men became incredibly close and washington ends up viewing him as an adopted son. lafayette's probably one of most famous for helping share the victory at the siege of yorktown was the last major battle of the revolution, and he returns to france after. for someone who was beloved by americans, he only here about was only here four times. he came in 1777 during the war. he goes back to france for about a year. he didn't really tell his family he was going to be going back, kind of for apologies. and also to help get more french aid for the americans. he returned in 1780. after the war is over he comes back for a brief kind of mini

tour. in 1784, he was here for four months. the purpose of that visit, though, was really to spend time with george washington. he spent two weeks down at mount vernon, a week in august week in november. they wanted to spend time together outside of like the theater of war. and then he returns in 1824 for this massive national. why did he not come back sooner? there's a couple of things happened when he returns to france in 1784 that france is on the cusp of their own revolution. lafayette was a constitutional monarchist. he believed that the monarchy and france should still exist, but there should be some more checks and balances and the people should have way more of a voice. this moderate became not very popular as the jacobin party rose to power and the terror escalated and he the fate of the guillotine was coming for him. and so he flees france with the hopes of coming to america. he does not make it. he's imprisoned in prussia and austria for about time i hope.

he's on the way of a mechanical matter. for about five years, from 1792 to 1797, he gets out prison. maybe now's a good time to come to america. america is about to enter the four day war with france, which is kind of like a cold war between france in america largely spurned by america's unpaid debts payments to the french country during the american revolution. that's not a really good to come. and in february of 1824, he finally a letter from jean president james monroe, who's inviting him to return for this celebration. the reason why james monroe reaches out at this point, because in 1826, america is going to be celebrating her 50th birthday. this like monumental celebration here, the country and people weren't really in a celebratory political parties, political division has existed since the birth of political parties, but since the war of 12, that

political tension was escalating. and it really came to a crux. 1824 around the election of 1824, between john quincy adams and andrew jackson. this the first presidential election where candidate had had a hand in the founding documents or served in the revolution. so what was really going to decide the future of the country with this election and people have very strong opinions on either side? it's absolutely nothing we can relate to a 2020 form, right? yeah. so monroe looks for a lafayette to come here lafayette is the last surviving major major general of the american revolution and he's hoping that his arrival is going to kind of help stoke the spirit of 76, kind of revive that patriotism. and it did work because lafayette, with a universally beloved a big reason for that is because the french revolution kept him in france. if he came to america, he would be forced to choose a political party that telecom the american system worked and early american politics were really bitterly divided between federalist

democratic republicans and by remaining of the fray. lafayette remains, this beloved figure, he's good friends with hamilton. he's good friends with thomas jefferson. not many people can say they were really good friends of both. and universally adored by both of them. so lafayette arrives in august of 1824. he first lands in new york city. he brings along with him his son george, washington, lafayette, named george washington. and personal secretary auguste levasseur comes with him. they spend first couple of months kind of touring around the northeast. we're coming down to defeat in the fall, lafayette's spent about a third of his entire national right here in the washington, d.c. it's the place that he spent the most of the place that probably the most to him based on the connection people who lived here, especially george washington, and the time that he'd spent in the virginia area during the war, he named him one of his daughters, virginie, how much he loved this area. he returns to alexandria,

october 16, 18, 24. he's been here numerous times before, during the revolution and during his 24 visit, he enters city from the north, coming from columbus street, and he does this winding pattern that's about two and a half miles long, 3 hours to complete. we're not those steps today on this, but it ends up gadsby's tavern, which is purple and dark towards bay. so to talk more about lafayette and alexandria, we're going to head to our first stop. we're going to at the end of this street run to take left and then we're going to stand on the corner of duke and st street from alexandria. we know what this first stop was like. and if you aren't here, don't know. you'll find out before. we go to have any questions. so far. all right. well, let's over toward the top.

i can. i also want to show you is this is lafayette. when we usually kind of picture him as this dashing military hero in his uniform, obviously does not look like this when he returns years later, he's going to be a little bit of an older man. this is the of lafayette. it was done the artist artie schaeffer and lafayette brought this portrait with him to, america. it was of like, thank you for having me. and here's a here's a hostess gift. is this place in the rotunda for the entirety of his tour a lot of artists wanted to paint like that he didn't have the time to sit for a lot of paintings so artists who traveled to the capital to the rotunda and copy this that's why if you see depictions of lafayette during the national tour, they'll kind of look like this one. and now this portrait hangs in the united states house of representatives chamber. it's one of only two portraits in that room george washington

and lafayette. so if you're a fan of watching congressional proceedings, you may recognize this kind of is there in the background. so when lafayette arrived in the city of alexandria, alexandria only had about 10,000 residents. but it seemed that the entire city came out to greet him for this tour, lining that entire two and a half mile tour route i mentioned. and if people couldn't fit on the street they would go up into the windows and. they would wave handkerchiefs and ribbons. i'm passed by. it's kind of hard for us to picture what this might have looked like. fortunately, we have a lovely contemporary depiction. this is a pendant drawing that someone did right after they fall. lafayette, you can see lafayette is in a carriage this is a group of people. there's a banner that says, welcome, lafayette. you see people running to greet him. and then if you look up in the there are people i can't put this too close to the arms, the speaker because it will then do feedback. but you see them in the windows

looking to greet him. there was this intense to want to see lafayette not even meet him but just have the opportunity to see him pass by. this becomes one of the first documented cases, tourism on a massive scale in the united states when he visits, especially towns, the number of people that out to greet him outnumbers the reported population at the time. keep mind what transportation was like in 1824. the brand new is the steamboat. other than that, if you want to get voices that are on land, not water. you to walk. you have to ride horses, take a carriage or a public coach. so the fact that there are these great numbers of people traveling outside of their homes just for the hope of seeing him pass by that's a massive massive undertaking when lafayette spends winter of 1824 1825 in washington, d.c., because the winter he's 67 years old, he doesn't want to travel ice and snow. he's going to stay in d.c. in taverns. they are going to maximum in an

otherwise really quiet time at. the city, otherwise in people know lafayette's in town so they're going to travel to go see him. when lafayette entered the city of alexandria, across washington street, which is the street we just crossed over the main road the city had built a 100 foot arch spanning the entire street. it consisted of three arches. it was decorated with portraits of lafayette, george, washington, french american flags, depictions of liberty and freedom, and decorated these garlands and flowers and greenery in the center arch right below a replica french naval ship. and on top of it, there was an eagle that the keeper of the alexandria museum had trained for. when lafayette entered underneath the arch, the eagle would spread its wings to welcome him to come. the arch is pretty common. you see, it in a lot of cities that lafayette is visiting this triumphant arch. unfortunately they didn't survive. i guess the pieces were repurposed or upon the newspaper

depictions. them the eagle seems pretty to alexandria so we have that when lafayette is traveling around he's obviously able to stay in his own home. he's on the company of the goodness of strangers host him and the issue of was going to host lafayette here in alexandria was a matter so serious it was taken up with the city council and they decided which house was going to be the one to host him and the house right behind me on this corner is the house that lafayette stayed during his time in alexandria. this is the more recent, this one with the three with the flag. yeah, yeah. it was gorgeous. hello. good morning. good morning. yes, it's a picture again. yes. so this the 1801 1824 portrait of lafayette, 24, the actual of lafayette and actually from 1820, you see how it looks pretty similar.

the portrait i showed you if you would, to pass this around, you can just be gentle, have the original backing and the original frame. oh, wow. thank you so much like you lot. oh, yeah. beautiful. yeah, yeah. he was a beautiful. it's also really cool to be able to hold something that was like around when he was around i know and was pittsburgh at the morrison's home it was built by a man named thomas morrison and his elizabeth it was completed in 1819. unfortunately, mr. latham dies shortly after the home was completed. but elizabeth continues to live in this until the late 1820s, with her children, the house was chosen. it was decided by the city of grand home. it an interior photo of the entryway. this is one of the really fine examples of federal architecture here at arlington. yeah, that's still it's still standing today. mrs. morrison was so generous. she moved out for the entire

month of october, even though lafayette only stayed here one night just in case she wanted to come back, there would be a place for him to stay and for her effort. she was awarded a silver cup by the city about ten, 15 years ago. the cup went up for auction and the city was outbid by like $10,000. so if you see mrs. larson's cup on sotheby's at any time, i would love to have it returned to the. but during all these celebrations there is a big person who's missing. george washington is not here. and we're going to talk about lafayette's connection. george washington at the next stop. before we go, do you have any. i was going to say, do we know in this house at that time? at the time. so this is now known as the benjamin delaney. i don't know if you think i to it is said that when lafayette arrived at the house there was a group of a crowd out front and wanted to hear him speak. you might that front door a front step is a little low and

so he went across the straight up to the bench of the laney house where it's a little bit higher. so he could break briefly speak to the crowd. yeah those are the taylor i, i think so that sounds familiar. yeah all right. so we're going be heading to the presbyterian meeting house, so going to walk down this way and then take a right and a problem. right there there. just maybe a little grass. well, it looks like the old presbyterian meeting house this building was first built in 1775, that it was reconstruct it after a fire in 1835. i do want to make a disclaimer. lafayette did not visit this building during his national tour, but it is connected to through two things. george washington and military service. so washington one of the big reasons lafayette had such an affection for the city of alexandria was because of george washington alexander is washington's adopted hometown

washington also surveyed the as a teenager this is washington a teenage washington survey of the city of alexandria and mount vernon was only ten miles away just just south. so this was his city that he was heading into when came back to america in 1784. i mentioned before the majority of that trip was to spend time with george washington in of 1784 lafayette and washington come to alexandria and they have a at lomax's tavern was a tavern on princess street that unfortunately no longer exists. but there was a public perception out there, a lot of his reasons for wanting to come back had a lot to do with george washington. george washington dies on december 14, 1799 of a very sudden and unexpected illness. it was so sudden and unexpected that washington had already been buried before. the majority of americans even knew that he had died. there was a private funeral, family funeral held, held, held.

mount vernon on, december 18th. but first city to know about the death of washington was here in alexandria alexandria post the very first announcement of washington's death alexandria paper on december 16th it took about a week from december 16th for the news of washington's death to travel all the way even to just new york. so there was a national funeral in philadelphia, which was then the capitol held at the end of the year on, december 26. but in that gap of time where people had known that he had died, people wanted to publicly mourn. half in the old presbyterian meeting house was the home of the memorial services for george washington for the city of alexandria, for memorial services were held here him at the church. lafayette does not find out about the death of george washington until february of 1800. the news has travel across the atlantic. once he finds out, he immediately writes to martha

washington expressing his condolences. and martha writes, this is only one of four condolence letters of returned condolences that was written in martha's hand. she getting a lot of condolence letters and the majority of them were written by tobias lear and other secretaries here at george washington. so the day after lafayette leaves alexandria on october 16th, the very next day 17th, he goes to mount vernon to finally be able to pay his respects and to begin to publicly mourn. this is a currier ives print of lafayette at washington's. if you have ever been to mt. vernon, you may know there are actually two tombs. there is the tomb and the old tomb. this is lafayette at the new tomb, which immediately tells us this is not an accurate depiction. the new tomb was not built until the 18 3030s at the time of washington's death. he does write in as well that a new tomb needs to be constructed. the old tomb is just not structurally sound.

people were breaking into it. he wanted a more secure place to be buried. but this does not happen until the 1830s. it was recently discovered mt. vernon got a donation of the only contemporary artistic depiction of lafayette visiting washington's tomb during his work. this is a watercolor and silk embroidered piece. this is lafayette right here. that's the old tomb right there. and this was done in 1824. so this was done shortly after lafayette. i don't know if this is on display at mt. vernon museum now. i'm hoping that if it's yet, it comes soon. and it is a really beautiful piece. but they have no digital white of it. in addition to its connection to george washington, i mentioned military service right down this pathway, which fortunately cannot go down right now. but the church is the church is in session. but i highly if you haven't been here before to pay a visit, maybe later.

there is the tomb of, the unknown revolutionary war soldier. when saint mary's basilica being built in 1826. and they're breaking ground, they uncovered the remains of a man in a revolutionary war uniform. they decided that they would return him here. the altar of material meeting house and he is now to the unknown revolutionary war. he is an example of someone who like lafayette made very similar sacrifices but has a name that we don't wait until now a lot of the big names in the revolution but he's an example one that we don't. also along brick pathway you can kind of see it from the entryway is the great of dr. james crick, who was one of the physicians who attended george washington's bedside and died. there's a couple of other alexandria names that are buried in that churchyard. so i would highly recommend you have time today when they're not meeting to go and pay them a visit. the river itself was to lafayette as he was traveling. i mentioned the steamboat being

the new invention. it was by a steamboat but lafayette left alexandria the morning of the 17th to travel down to mount. the river was also a major, part of why alexandria was such an important port city in the early in the 18th century. merchants would buy and sell from the river down here and set up. they would have shops up king street. the was also important in helping that the fact that alexandria, one of the largest slave trading ports in the united states by the late 19th century. franklin and armfield, who were slave traders on duke street today. their offices operate as the freedom house museum. they were responsible for 50% of the slave trade from here to new orleans and back. it was a massive operation and part of alexander course, cultural and merchant background. lafayette was not blind to the horrors of american slavery. when he goes back to france after, the war, he becomes really outspoken in an

impassioned anti-slavery views. he writes to his friends back america. many of the people who were slave owners kind of pressuring them as to why they were keeping. they fought this war for american. and they also have this contradiction of keeping people in bondage and what they could do to stop it. he didn't just the walk. he did. he didn't just talk. talk. you did try to walk the walk. he develops what are now known as the cayenne experiments. lafayette purchased multiple plantations in french guiana with the intention of proving that emancipation could happen and that agricultural system could exist without. the need for slavery, both white and black people who worked on those plantations, were paid the same punishment was the same, and it was to prove that slavery could be. he writes to george washington, and he was so excited about this plan and says, this is something you can do at mount vernon, washington, right back. all talk about it more when i see you. and so it's very careful that

washington didn't want to put his opinions onto paper. washington is very aware. everything he writes he does is impacted and will be saved. it is many historians and scholars believe that washington's decision to eventually free his slaves in will upon the death of his wife was largely influenced by lafayette. unfortunately, kind of experiments, there were never a success nor a failure, but they were not able to be. when lafayette was imprisoned, the french revolution, all of his property seized, and that included the plantation in french guyana, france. abolish abolish slavery and then they reinstate slavery and then they abolished again. its historians are looking into what happened to the fate of the people who were enslaved on these. but research is still ongoing, trying to track and their descendants down here and obviously go back.

yes, i think it was a big that he definitely supported the haitian the haitian revolution had also had a little bit of a personal vested interest in helping to change his. this is a depiction of lafayette at the siege of yorktown. lafayette is pointing to yorktown and there is a man behind him. this man is believed to be james armistead. james armistead was an enslaved man who worked as a courier for lafayette during the revolution, was a double agent spy feeding false information to the british and relaying that information back to lafayette. it is because of his work that lafayette knew that the british were going to be coming in near yorktown, that lafayette sent the french navy to help secure that blockade. after the war, there was an act called the act of 1783, and that guaranteed that any enslaved man who served combat would be eligible for their freedom. unfortunately, james's work was through espionage irish, not through combat. it meant that he was ineligible. lafayette hears about this when

he comes back in 1784. he goes to the state in virginia and he petitions for james's freedom. he writes this it's testimonial. it's copied right here saying that this man named james had essential services to me while i had been ordered to work in the state that he is entitled to every reward situation kind of met up lafayette support helps brings james's story back into public consciousness and it by 1787 james has or is as a sign of gratitude for the man who helped fight for his freedom. james changes his name and he is known as james lafayette and lafayette's tours. and in 1824, james is hoping to be reunited with lafayette at yorktown but he couldn't secure the funds to go to meet him there. so it was in richmond a couple of weeks later where the two men were reunited. lafayette entered the city of richmond on a carriage he saw james in the crowd. he the carriage to stop and he called james to him and the two men publicly embraced in this

all white crowd in the city of richmond, a southern city, lafayette, was incredibly conscious of his actions. he knew this was not the socially proper thing to do this is not the only time he does this on the tour. he does it in new orleans. he is he's consistently doing this in southern, too. he also must have had just an absolutely amazing memory to recognize people's faces after 40 years around. this time, a portrait is done of james armistead. this is a copy of the portrait here was done by the artist john blennerhassett. martin even for three black men of this era, this type of portraiture is a unusual. it is likely that lafayette helped to either commission the portrait or had some hand in getting this portrait completed after the tour, the portrait and lafayette's were then copied broadsides and distributed throughout the country, and especially as the anti-slavery and abolition movements grew up into civil war. this is something that really linked lafayette to the anti-slavery. i used to say there were no

known descendants. james dies in 1833. we do not know he was buried. i used to say we didn't know if he has any descendants and i have been corrected in the best possible way back. in august, some of lafayette's descendants were here in alexandria before they were heading up to new york for the kick off the bicentennial celebrations. they went to visit mount vernon. they were at the tomb of george washington and. someone overheard that they were lafayette descendants. and a young man said, i'm a descendant of james armistead lafayette. and they were able to meet front of george washington's too, at mount vernon, which is just astounding. so that is why this really, really cool moment. so obviously, do you have any questions on anything here? ready for the next foursome? we're going to head up king street now. this first little block in the next block of king street closed to car traffic. so we're able to walk in the middle of the street and.

then once it gets to four, cars can drive over in a state to the right and head to market square. i'm following. two categories. my friends friends. so we're standing here at market square in alexandria. behind me is city hall. this has been the city hall of the city since the founding of the city, the market behind me is home to alexandria market every saturday from, 7 a.m. to 12 p.m. there's a farmer's market held in the space behind me. it is the longest continually operating farmer's market and it's the same site in the united states. it's been going on rain or shine every saturday for 260 years. now over 250 years by the building behind me is a reconstruction. the original city was destroyed by a at 1871, but when it

rebuilt it was rebuilt to look the as it was from its original construction in the 1700s. the original city hall did not was not just home to like city officials and government offices also help police and fire it help the library and it also was home to the alexandria washington masonic lodge today may know the masonic lodge at the end of the street on king street that other washington monument. they have a wonderful museum and they also have some artifacts to lafayette tours. they have this gorgeous banner that was used during the storm, but highly recommend you go see it. and they have what is believed to be one of the most accurate portraits of george. it is definitely the photoshop version. his pockmarks. you see a big mole on the side of his face. so for those two things, it's worth the trip away in. february of 1825, lafayette returned to alexandria to go inside that building, actually

have a ceremony with. the masons. it was amazing with another thing that connected him to george washington. so we had a ceremony with the washington, alexandria masonic lodge and then they went across the street to gatsby's for a reception. lafayette also returned alexandria during his tour and later, december of 1824. this was a kind of a unprompted visit, not as like glamorous as the october 16th visit, he visited the home and lee, the widow of light horse, harry lee, they lived five blocks north on a road, couple streets in lafayette, stopped to have dinner with and and her son, robert at that place as well as we were walking up king street. you may have noticed two things you may have noticed alexandria flood quite often, and that is because the shoreline is not the original shoreline. this map here shows the original of the city of alexandria and how it was built out east until

1845. so we've kind of added on to the shoreline here and that's why the city has a tendency to flood especially in the lower area. this was also a quite stiff like ravine almost and then things were built of and ships opening quite a lot of shops king street has always been home to shops and the founding of the city and if were here in 1824, king street would be the place to go. if you wanted your lafayette souvenirs for lafayette's tour, if you wanted something with lafayette's face on it, you wanted a pair of gloves, you wanted pottery, you wanted a smoking pipe. snuff box ribbons were, also very popular. you could buy them anything you wanted with lafayette face on ribbons were very popular here before lafayette to ride into towns, merchants would advertise that they had lafayette ribbons and badges for purchase and you would pin this to your shirt find your dress and as lafayette passed through the town he'd see the ribbons you know that you were a very similar to how we

buy merchandise for pop culture today again lafayette. was doing that for everyone else the day before lafayette visit alexandria educator named benjamin hollowell had gotten married and he decided to pen a poem commemorate ing lafayette as well as his own marriage. and he comments on these souvenirs because you can buy at lafayette anything a lafayette watch chain or a lafayette. a lafayette or a lafayette that but i wanted something as lasting as life. and i took to myself a lafayette wife the best way of like bringing in these huge national things into something really personal as a historian thing struck, our self is going to be god. these gatsby's was really the center of lafayette visits and his time in the city taverns were deeply important to american culture, but before just head across the street and go over there any questions

from. perfect. all right, let's head over. we're going to cross the street and then take an immediate right. before we go inside, just want to talk a little bit more about the tavern culture and early america. taverns were really the epicenters of. so when lafayette came in october 16, october 16th of 1824, this was like main spot. we think of taverns as places for travelers to rest, to get food. and that is definitely a huge aspect of taverns. but there were also like centuries of democratic debate organizations would meet here. they were social sectors of cities and also get a drink while you're here. that's an added that keeps people there a little bit longer of lafayette ended his parade route right in front of us right where you guys are standing you got out of his carriage and 100 children of alexandria in blue and white sashes were lining the

sidewalk and throwing flowers at his feet. he had brief military review and then walked back over to the st asaph and went to lawson house a time just to rest a little bit and. at 5:00 he returned here for public dinner and. we're going to go upstairs into the room where. the dinner was held a couple things about gatsby's visit, actually, to building. we're going to be entering through the 1785 section of the building and i'm going to be crossing over to the 1792 section. so these two buildings are connected, but they were built separately at different times at the time. buffet's visit, this was not called gatsby's tavern city hotel. it was operated by a man named horatio baggett. and i found out in my research, horatio, i guess my third grade when i was going through the ledger, was the city's finances. the city the city spent about $30,000 of today's money for lafayette's a reception here and

there was a payment to separation. i guess the use of the hotel i was like that is a name is very you know when i know that so it was pretty exciting i didn't i had a lot back as we go upstairs you want to make sure if you have any water food, make sure that's tight, put away anything. we're going to go up a couple flights of stairs once there and then little mini set of stairs and then again once we in the ballroom. you're welcome. stay and gatsby's and wander around as your heart's ready cool to it might be pretty. if you were there. hey, already there's a 17. year one time of this drinks

with. thomas jefferson playing his role just talked to telling stories you can ask. plus. he's a since these are your. work for you you fall on this. of you find to want to sit in benches tables there's nice things so this is the ballroom where 5:00 pm on october 16, 1824, lafayette was welcome by john quincy adams, who is then the secretary of state. you've still got to meet six president of the united states, the serving as host. and while the lafayette here a public dinner.

there were three toasts that were given during this dinner. you can read the whole of the dinner and alexandria because that is it seems like just endless, like and toasts. so we're not going to reenact it. but i will say what lafayette toast was because lafayette gave a toast to the city of alexandria he said made prosperity and happiness more and more realized the fondest wishes of our venerated washington very common to toast the memory of washington during. these public dinners that that were how after the dinner concluded lafayette walked back to larson house where he accepted guest and member of the public wanted to come and shake his hand could come and meet with him until 10 p.m. when he finally retired. he had a very early start leaving washington morning and until 10:00 that night. i think he was definitely ready for arrest. lafayette dies at 1834. he is buried in cemetery because a cemetery that was established

by his wife for the victims of the terror. and he she was buried there each in a way he wanted to be buried next to her when was in massachusetts he would help during the tour he helped lead the cornerstone of bunker hill monument and we did that. he took some soil back with him so it could be scattered on his coffin to be buried in both french and american soil. the american and french flag would flying over his grave and during nazi occupation paris. that plaque was left untouched so americans there. lafayette has left a very large on the city of alexandria. there's still remnants him around fayette street on the other side washington street that is named after him. it was named after him in 1784. so we the precursor of all these cities and towns named after in the wake of the national tour on the side of the morrison house, which is now known as the white house, there is a plaque commemorating its involvement with the national tour, hosting

and the building that we are standing in right now was saved by american legion post 24 march due to its connection to lafayette's national tour nationally. i mention all the cities and towns named after him about. 300 cities and towns were after lafayette in the wake of the national tour colleges. lafayette college was named after him. the of the college called lafayette in pennsylvania to race back home to easton and said we got two names for his children also named after lafayette. there's a nice little spike in named fayette. fayette first named the middle names during the national tour as well. as we celebrate this bicentennial, obviously lafayette is not as immediate to us as he was 1824. he still a lot to a lot of people you guys are all evidence of what he means i find myself when i was researching. this my book and it just involved in the lafayette bicentennial we don't have someone who is really like that,

not least not a single thing. so my call to action for every single person who goes on my tour is who listens to him, comes to lectures, is that that is a responsibility for each and every single person in this room. if you believe in the causes you believe, then there's a responsibility to be that unity and how to bring people together. that's the part that no longer exists. but we do that. we can help carry on this message. so thank you all. so, so for joining me. if you have questions, i'll be hanging around for bit for interest. and again, the book is downstairs. i will often do also get a lecture october. 16 the lyceum. so want to hear me talk more? go into a little bit more in-depth about like i was talking of it that evening, october 16th, and there was also i think it would be sold out the dinner on. 24 and there is that maybe wanted to take it from there. are you cost maybe there is

going to be a dinner here at gadsby's on october 17. a and this is basically awesome and i have to flow into the next one as well. but there will be a dinner for a lot at the commemoration of the start of the year, lots of lots of exciting things in the region over the next month or so. and the national tour goes until september of 2025. the bicentennial celebration. so you can't get enough of him there's plenty of time to. thank you, guys. so so much. enjoy this beautiful sunday. many to see around. thank you. so to get thinking, what do you think is so