A CTGS Presentation: Lafayette and the French Influence on the Revolutionary War

French nobleman Gilbert du Motier, the Marquis de Lafayette, defied his king to join the American cause in 1777, becoming a trusted ally of George Washington and helping secure the crucial Franco-American alliance that turned the tide of the Revolutionary War. In this in-person presentation, Cathleen Scura explores Lafayette’s extraordinary life—from his early years in France to his military successes, abolitionist principles, and role in both the American and French Revolutions. The program also follows his celebrated return to the United States in 1824–1825 and examines the enduring legacy of Lafayette and his descendants on both sides of the Atlantic.